OCT  15  1935 


THE  MUSIC 
OF  THE  PILGRIMS 

A  Description  of  the  Psalm-book 
brought  to  Plymouth  in  1620 

BY 

WALDO  SELDEN  PRATT 

HARTFORD  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


BOSTON:    OLIVER   DITSON   COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  :  CHAS.  H.  DITSON  &  CO.     CHICAGO  I  LYON  &  HEALY 


COPYRIGHT  MCMXXI 

By  Oliver  Ditson  Company 

International  Copyright  Secured 


This  study  of  a  point  in  the 
musical  history  of  America  that 
has  been  rather  strangely  over- 
looked is  an  expansion  of  a  paper 
prepared  for  the  International 
Council  held  in  Boston  on  June 
29-July  6,  1920,  and  also  given, 
in  a  revised  form,  before  the 
Connecticut  Historical  Society  on 
October  5,  1920. 

Thanks  are  due  Mr.  JohnAlbree, 
of  Boston,  for  kind  permission  to 
make  reproductions  from  his  copy 
of  AinswortK  s  Psalter,  and  to  him 
and  Rev.  Dr.  Louis  F.  Benson, 
of  Philadelphia,  for  valuable  as- 
sistance in  other  ways. 


THE  BOOK  OF 

PSALMES 

EflgUflied  both  in  Profe 
and  Metre. 

With  Annotations,  owning  the  words 

and/ententes,  by  conferenec 

with  other  fcrifturet. 

By  H*  A. 

Ephe.Mf.lp. 

Sefi  ftUdmth the  Sprit:  fpMng  toytof 

[elves  in  Pj alms,  and  hymnes^ndffl* 

ritual  Songs. -finging  &  making 

melodie  in  your  hart 

U  the  Lord. 


#&? 


Imprinted  at  Amdetdwi 

By  Giles  Thorp, 
A*.  D\  tf  !»• 


Title-page  of  the  Pilgrim  Psalter,  First  Edition  (reduced) 

4 


THE  many  Tercentenary  Celebrations  during  1920 
of  the  coming  of  the  Pilgrims  to  Plymouth  in 
1620  have  called  fresh  attention  to  that  historic 
migration.  In  such  commemorations  the  accent 
naturally  falls  upon  those  religious  and  political  ideas  in 
the  minds  of  the  pioneers  which  they  proceeded  to 
put  into  practice  in  the  new  settlement.  Naturally, 
also,  the  strength  and  nobility  of  their  personal  charac- 
ter are  exalted,  for  the  leaders  and  most  of  their  asso- 
ciates were  surely  notable  figures,  eminently  fit  to  be 
founders  of  a  new  commonwealth. 

Unfortunately,  the  disasters  that  befell  the  infant 
colony  were  quick  and  sharp,  so  that  presently 
Plymouth  was  overshadowed  by  the  larger  and  more 
fortunate  Puritan  plantations  to  the  north,  represent- 
ing a  somewhat  different  set  of  impulses,  though  of  a 
related  class.  The  settlers  about  what  is  now  Boston 
were  so  much  more  numerous  than  those  whom  plague 
and  famine  spared  at  Plymouth,  and  the  development 
of  the  Puritan  colony  of  Massachusetts  Bay  was  so 
much  more  positive  and  influential,  that  it  is  not 
altogether  strange  that  popular  thought  to-day  tends 
to  confound  the  two  undertakings  and  unconsciously 
to  extend  to  Plymouth  whatever  facts  or  traditions 
belong  to  Boston  and  its  neighborhood.  Thus  in 
trying  to  draw  a  picture  of  the  actual  life  in  Plymouth 
it  is  not  uncommon  to  find  details  in  the  later  life  of 
the  Puritans  assumed  to  be  true  also  of  the  ways  of 
the  Pilgrims.  To  offset  this  prevalent  habit  of  thought 
it  is  useful  to  magnify  whatever  we  can  recover  of  the 
distinctive  peculiarities  of  the  Plymouth  settlement. 

5 


It  is  surprising  that  there  is  so  little  intelligent 
reference  to  the  musical  side  of  Plymouth  life.  It  is 
true  that  we  do  not  know  how  many  of  the  early 
settlers  there  were  musically  gifted,  and  we  have  no 
record  of  how  the  actual  practice  of  singing  was  kept 
up  in  the  first  critical  years.  But  we  do  know  that 
song  in  worship  was  one  of  their  cherished  and  charac- 
teristic customs.  And  we  do  know  just  what  music 
they  brought  with  them.  We  cannot  be  wrong,  also, 
in  drawing  inferences  from  that  passage  in  Edward 
Winslow's  Hypocrisie  Unmasked  (1646)  in  which  he 
describes  with  no  little  pathos  how  on  July  20/30, 
1620,  the  large  Leyden  congregation  bade  farewell 
to  those  of  their  number  who  were  setting  out,  by 
way  of  England,  for  the  untried  shores  of  America: 

They  that  stayed  at  Leyden  feasted  us  that  were 
to  go  at  our  pastor's  house,  [it]  being  large;  where 
we  refreshed  ourselves,  after  tears,  with  singing  of 
Psalms,  making  joyful  melody  in  our  hearts  as  well 
as  with  the  voice,  there  being  many  of  our  congrega- 
tion very  expert  in  music;  and  indeed  it  was  the 
sweetest  melody  that  ever  mine  ears  heard. 

It  is  to  be  remembered  that  throughout  the  16th 
and  17th  centuries  English  Protestants  based  their 
congregational  singing  upon  metrical  versions  of  the 
Psalms.  All  early  service-books  of  this  kind  were 
'Psalm-Books'.  These  were  not  supplemented  or  dis- 
placed by  'Hymn-Books*  until  the  18th  century.  The 
first  complete  metrical  Psalter  in  English  was  that 
commonly  known  as  'Sternhold  and  Hopkins*  (so 
called  because  begun  before  1550  by  Thomas  Sternhold 
and  finally  edited  by  a  committee  of  which  John  Hop- 
kins was  chairman).    This  was  first  published  in  1562. 

6 


In  1564  it  was  followed  by  a  Scottish  variant,  based 
in  general  upon  the  same  material,  but  with  extensive 
differences.  These  two  books  dominated  the  British 
field  for  a  century  or  more.  In  Scotland  the  historic 
'Scottish  Psalter'  did  not  come  in  till  1650,  and  in 
England  'Tate  and  Brady*  or  'The  New  Version*  did 
not  begin  to  bid  for  approbation  before  1696.  Mean- 
while, as  successive  colonies  were  planted  in  the  New 
World  they  all  brought  over  the  English  Sternhold 
and  Hopkins  except  the  colony  that  came  to  Plymouth. 

The  Psalter  brought  to  Plymouth  was  one  specially 
prepared  for  the  fugitive  congregations  of  'Separatists' 
in  Holland  by  Henry  Ainsworth  and  published  in 
Amsterdam  in  161 2.  This  book  was  also  adopted  at 
Salem  and  used  there  for  about  a  generation.  At 
Plymouth  it  was  maintained  much  longer,  certainly 
until  after  the  Pilgrim  settlement  was  merged  with 
Massachusetts  Bay  in  1692.  It  was  then  replaced  by 
what  we  now  know  as  'The  Bay  Psalm-Book',  which 
was  a  new  American  book,  published  at  Cambridge 
in  1640,  much  revised  about  1650  and  often  reprinted 
later.  This  'New  England  Version*  long  remained  the 
characteristic  American  Psalter,  and  as  such  has 
received  a  large  amount  of  attention  —  not  always 
with  much  discrimination.  Yet  Ainsworth's  Psalter 
was  in  practical  use  at  Plymouth  many  years  earlier, 
and  has  much  more  intrinsic  importance  than  the  Bay 
Psalm-Book  ever  had.  It  is  remarkable,  therefore, 
that  Ainsworth  has  had  so  little  consideration. 

A  few  words  should  be  said  about  the  compiler  or 
author.  Henry  Ainsworth  stands  forth  among  those 
who  earliest  underwent  religious  exile  from  England 


in  Holland  as  (to  quote  Dr.  Dexter's  estimate)  'their 
finest  character,  who  left  the  richest  deposit  in  litera- 
ture, and  who  for  his  humility  and  sweetness  deserves 
worthiest  remembrance/  He  was  born  near  Norwich 
about  1570,  studied  four  years  at  Cambridge,  probably 
in  London  became  active  in  the  'Separatist*  sect, 
suffered  hardship  for  his  opinions,  and  in  1593  fled  for 
liberty  to  Amsterdam.  For  a  time  he  seems  to  have 
been  in  much  poverty  and  is  said  to  have  worked  in 
a  Dutch  book-shop  as  a  common  porter.  In  process 
of  time,  however,  he  naturally  became  a  leader,  and, 
especially  after  16 10,  was  recognized  as  the  honored 
'teacher'  of  the  principal  congregation  in  Amsterdam, 
the  one  with  which  those  who  later  became  the  Pilgrims 
had  fairly  amicable  relations  before  they  settled  in 
Leyden  in  1609.  Ainsworth  was  a  vigorous  contro- 
versialist as  well  as  an  able  Biblical  scholar.  He  is 
now  most  remembered  because  of  his  Hebrew  learning. 
His  various  commentaries  on  the  Old  Testament  were 
collected  in  1627  and  have  often  been  republished. 
He  died  in  1623,  somewhat  over  fifty  years  old. 

Ainsworth's  Psalter  is  an  octavo  volume  of  iv,  342 
pages,  set  up  and  printed  with  notable  care.  Its  signi- 
ficance as  the  first  real  competitor  of  Sternhold  and 
Hopkins  is  attested  by  the  fact  that  later  editions  came 
out  in  1617,  1626,  1639,  1644  and  1690.  Of  the  first 
edition  of  161 2  I  have  heard  of  less  than  ten  copies  in 
America  —  in  the  Boston  Public  Library,  Boston  Uni- 
versity, the  Congregational  Library  of1  Boston,  the 
American  Antiquarian  Society  in  Worcester,  Yale  Uni- 
versity, the  Hartford  Theological  Seminary  in  Hart- 
ford, and  the  rest  in  private  hands.  It  is  likely  that 
there  are  one  or  two  more.    Whether  any  of  these  cop- 

8 


ies  was  actually  used  at  Plymouth  I  do  not  know. 
The  main  circulation  of  the  book  was  in  Holland  and 
England. 

This  book  has  interest  in  four  distinct  directions, 
each  of  which  might  claim  extended  exposition.  In 
the  first  place,  it  presents  a  complete  new  translation 
in  prose,  which  is  important  because  made  by  a  com- 
petent scholar  at  almost  exactly  the  same  time  with 
the  'King  James'  or  'Authorized'  Version  of  1611. 
In  the  second  place,  the  rendering  of  each  Psalm  is 
accompanied  by  many  pithy  notes  or  comments  on 
the  text,  illustrating  the  author's  commonsense  as  a 
Biblical  critic.  In  the  third  place,  side  by  side  with 
the  prose  renderings  are  metrical  arrangements  of 
them,  adapting  the  entire  translation  for  use  in  common 
song.  In  the  fourth  place,  there  is  a  series  of  nearly 
forty  tunes,  quaintly  set  forth  in  melody  only,  after 
the  fashion  of  the  time. 

It  is  upon  the  last  of  these  features  that  I  would  here 
fix  attention,  with  whatever  may  be  necessary  of  the 
third.  The  book  has  by  no  means  been  forgotten  in 
its  relation  to  Biblical  scholarship,  but  its  peculiar 
significance  as  a  song-manual  should  not  be  overlooked. 

In  passing,  however,  a  word  should  be  said  about 
the  literary  quality  of  the  book.  The  style  is  concise 
and  nervous,  with  not  a  few  quaintnesses  and  some 
angularities,  but  on  the  whole  fairly  well  illustrating 
that  virile  period  when  modern  English  was  being 
forged  by  such  masters  as  Bacon  and  Shakespeare  into 
a  mighty  weapon  of  expressional  force  and  brilliance. 
As  a  specimen  of  the  prose  renderings  we  may  quote  that 
of  the  23rd  Psalm:  — 

9 


Jehovah  feedeth  me;  I  shall  not  lack.  In  folds  of  budding  grass 
He  maketh  me  lie  down;  He  easily  leadeth  me  by  the  waters  of  rests. 
He  returneth  my  soul;  He  leadeth  me  in  the  beaten  paths  of  justice 
for  His  name  sake.  Yea,  though  I  should  walk  in  the  vally  of  the 
shade  of  death,  I  wil  not  fear  evil;  for  Thou  wilt  be  with  me;  Thy  rod 
and  Thy  staff,  they  shall  comfort  me.  Thou  furnishest  before  me  a 
table  in  presence  of  my  distressers;  Thou  makest  fat  my  head 
with  oil;  my  cup  is  abundant.  Doubtless  good  and  mercy  shal 
folow  me  al  the  dayes  of  my  life,  and  I  shal  converse  in  the  howse  of 
Jehovah  to  length  of  dayes. 

To  this  we  may  add  a  single  stanza  of  the  verse  to 
show  how  the  prose  is  turned  into  meter:  — 

Jehovah  feedeth  me,  I  shal  not  lack; 

In  grassy  folds  He  down  dooth  make  me  lye; 

He  gently  leads  me  quiet  waters  by. 
He  dooth  return  my  soul;    for  His  name  sake 

In  paths  of  justice  leads  me  quietly. 

Quoting  this  stanza  reminds  us  that  the  music  cannot 
be  considered  apart  from  the  verse.  The  two  are  vitally 
interdependent.  In  all  early  Protestant  song,  whether 
in  England  or  France  or  Germany,  we  observe  certain 
prevalent  types  of  verse  being  united  with  the  available 
types  of  melody  that  went  with  them.  In  this  particular 
Psalter  there  was  probably  little  or  nothing  in  either 
verse  or  music  that  was  absolutely  novel,  though  in 
both  particulars  it  differs  notably  from  English  usage 
as  then  established.  The  book  was  made  in  Holland  for 
an  exotic  group  of  English  folk  temporarily  sojourning 
there.  From  England  they  had  of  course  brought  the 
song-usages  that  had  been  gradually  forming  since  the 
beginning  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign.  But  in  Holland 
they  were  in  close  contact  with  the  mingled  French  and 
Dutch  usages  of  the  Reformed  Churches  in  the  Low 
Countries.  In  Ainsworth,  then,  we  are  not  surprised 
to  find  a  unique  blend  of  styles,  including  a  large  pro- 
portion of  French  forms.     It  was  this  unique  blend 

10 


that  was  conveyed  across  the  Atlantic  in  1620.  The 
transplanted  vine  of  song,  as  we  shall  see,  had  not  the 
strength  to  strike  root  permanently.  Other  plantings 
throve  more  readily.  So  it  came  about  that  what  the 
first-comers  brought  and  for  a  time  watched  over  with 
devoted  reverence  had  fallen  into  more  or  less  oblivion 
by  the  time  their  grandchildren  came  upon  the  stage. 

The  versification  in  Ainsworth  is  uniformly  iambic, 
as  in  all  the  early  English  metrical  Psalters,  though 
with  some  licences  that  slightly  relieve  the  monotony. 
As  contrasted  with  our  modern  hymnody,  we  are  at 
once  struck  by  the  entire  absence  of  energetic  trochaic 
measures.  In  161 2  these  were  quite  unknown  or  at 
least  unused  in  practical  psalmody.  They  did  not 
come  in  until  more  than  a  century  later,  when  in  1739 
Charles  Wesley  took  up  the  lyre.  Slightly  associated 
with  this  is  the  further  fact  that  only  very  rarely  do 
the  lines  have  a  'feminine*  ending  (only  found  in  Pss. 
45,  50  and  136).  Both  of  these  points  directly  affected 
the  form  of  the  music. 

In  reading  the  stanzas  aloud,  by  the  way,  we  need 
to  remember  that  in  161 2  English  pronunciation  was 
probably  no  more  absolutely  fixed  than  was  English 
spelling.  Some  words  of  French  origin  may  have 
retained  at  least  a  Gallic  accent,  if  not  a  Gallic  vocali- 
zation. Many  longer  words  were  often  split  up  into 
all  the  syllables  possible  —  as  'salvati-on'  and  even 
'cogitati-on  famil-i-ar'  (Ps.  139).  'Jehovah'  was  cer- 
tainly called  'Jehovay',  'Jan'  'Jay'  and  'Selah'  'Selay'. 

There  is  a  (to  us)  surprising  preference  for  long 
stanzas,  just  as  in  many  of  the  early  German  hymns. 
Hardly  more  than   one  Psalm   in  ten  is  cast  in   the 

11 


brief  four-line  pattern  that  is  now  often  supposed  to  be 
typical  of  the  'old*  psalmody.     Here,  again,  we  must 
remind  ourselves  that  the  so-called  'short*  stanza  and 
tune  did  not  become  dominant  in  English  u^age  at 
first.     In  Ainsworth  fully  half  of  the  Psalms  are  in 
eight-line  stanzas,  while  thirty-four  of  the  remainder 
have  six  lines  and  eleven  have  five  lines.    Three  actually 
have  twelve  lines.    All  this  means  that  the  prevailing 
types  of  melody  were  extended  rather  than  condensed. 
During  the  17th  century  'short*  tunes  became  the  rule, 
doubtless  because  they  cost  less  effort  of  memory  and 
of  voice,  and  their  supremacy  then  lasted  until  far 
into  the  19th.     Even  yet  there  are  those  who  regard 
'Dundee*  (which  is  of  the  same  period  as  Ainsworth) 
or  'St.  Ann's*  (which  is  a  century  later)  as  indicating 
the  initial  type  of  English  tune.     It  is  true  that  the 
prejudice  in  favor  of  the  syllable-formula  8-6-8-6  (the 
'ballad    meter*    or    'common    meter*)    was   somewhat 
firmly  seated  before  1600,  and  that  during  the  17th 
century  practically  all  tunes  came  to  be  adjusted  to 
this  meter  or  one  of  its  near  relatives.    Here  in  America, 
when  in  1698  the  Bay  Psalm-Book  first  came  to  include 
music,  practically  all  the  tunes  were  of  this  one  class. 
But  in  Ainsworth  we  are  in  the  presence  of  a  very 
different  taste.    It  is  curious  that  only  within  a  com- 
paratively recent  period  have  English  and  American 
churches  begun  to  take  up  again  the  elaborated  verse- 
forms  and  the  extended  melodies  that  were  common  in 
the  thought  of  the  Pilgrims. 

In  Ainsworth,  as  in  all  other  early  Psalters  until 
Tate  and  Brady,  there  is  little  care  for  beauty  of  verbal 
effect.  Many  passages  seem  rough  and  awkward  to 
our  ears,  and  not  a  few  of  the  rhymes  are  harsh.    The 

12 


one  aim  was  to  get  the  whole  substance  of  the  prose 
text  into  meter  without  abridgment  and  with  all  possible 
brevity. 

Many  more  comments  might  be  made  about  the 
features  of  the  verse.  But  we  must  hasten  on  to  the 
musical  features. 

Regarding  the  sources  of  the  music  Ainsworth  has 
this  to  offer:  — 

Tunes  for  the  Psalms  I  find  none  set  of  God;  so 
that  each  people  is  to  use  the  most  grave,  decent  and 
comfortable  manner  of  singing  that  they  know.  . 
The  singing-notes,  therefore,  I  have  most  taken  from 
our  former  Englished  Psalms,  when  they  will  fit  the 
measure  of  the  verse.  And  for  the  other  long  verses 
I  have  also  taken  (for  the  most  part)  the  gravest  and 
easiest  tunes  of  the  French  and  Dutch  Psalmes. 

After  the  custom  of  the  time,  only  the  melodies 
are  given,  set  in  the  old  'square'  notes.  The  notes 
used  are  regularly  in  but  three  values,  in  the  body  of 
the  tunes  only  semibreves  and  minims  (  o  and  i  ), 
but  with  a  'long'  (  J )  always  at  the  end.  The  C-clef 
is  the  only  one  used,  placed  on  the  staff  according  to 
the  pitch  and  range  of  the  melody  —  usually  on  the 
fourth  line  or  third  line,  but  occasionally  on  the  second 
(Pss.  13  and  32)  or  even  the  first  (Ps.  35=77).  A  flat 
is  often  added  in  the  signature,  and  flats  are  some- 
what introduced  as  accidentals.  Sharps,  however,  are 
never  used  (perhaps  because  the  font  at  hand  did  not 
contain  them),  though  in  numerous  cases  they  were 
undoubtedly  supplied  mentally  —  as  parallel  versions 
in  other  books  indicate.  The  music- type  that  Ainsworth 
found  available  was  not  as  clear  or  positive  as  might 
be  desired,  so  that  some  of  the  melodies,  especially 

13 


in  their  fitting  to  the  words  below  them,  are  hard  to 
read  rapidly.  But  the  proof-reading  seems  remarkably- 
careful.  Regarding  this  typography  we  naturally 
recall  Longfellow's  graceful  reference  in  'The  Court- 
ship of  Miles  Standish',  at  the  point  where  John  Alden, 
on  the  way  with  the  Captain's  message,  finds  Priscilla 
singing  — 

Open  wide  on  her  lap  lay  the  well-worn  psalm-book  of  Ainsworth, 
Printed  in  Amsterdam,  the  words  and  the  music  together, 
Rough-hewn,  angular  notes,  like  stones  in  the  wall  of  a  churchyard, 
Darkened  and  overhung  by  the  running  vine  of  the  verses. 

In  his  description  of  Priscilla  singing  the  iooth  Psalm 
Longfellow  seems  to  show  a  fine  sense  of  the  look  of 
the  book  as  it  was.  Somewhere  he  might  have  woven 
into  his  picture  the  hint  that  Priscilla,  with  her  pre- 
sumably French  blood,  may  be  supposed  to  have  had 
a  peculiar  sympathy  with  the  many  French  melodies 
in  Ainsworth. 

Apparently  there  are  forty-eight  tunes,  scattered 
about  without  much  plan.  Where  no  tune  is  given, 
there  is  a  cross-reference,  like  'Sing  this  as  the  18. 
Psalm*.  But  the  forty-eight  prove  to  include  nine 
duplicates,  so  that  the  actual  number  is  thirty-nine. 

These  represent  in  all  fifteen  different  types  of 
stanza  or  'meters',  as  follows:  — 


(4  lines) 

S.  M.     (6686) 

Ps.  21. 

C.  M.     (8686) 

Pss.  15,54. 

L.  M.     (8888) 

Pss.  5,  33  (  =  81,  104),  66,  ioo. 

I  OS. 

Pss.  3  (  =  86),  25,  37,  97. 

(5  lines) 

I  OS. 

Pss.  8,  35  (  =  77). 

(6  lines) 

L.  M.    (8888,88) 

Ps.  34. 

L.  P.  M.     (888,888) 

Ps.  60. 

I  OS. 

Pss.  18  (  =  69),  45,  S3,  "I- 

IOS,  IIS. 

Ps.  50. 

(7  lines) 

6s,  4.     (6666,4,66) 

Ps.  108. 

14 


(8  lines) 

C.  M.  D. 

Pss.  1  (  =  68),  7  (  =  74),  22,  24, 
27  (  =  106),  39,  42,  44,  59,  89 

L.  M.  D. 

Pss.  32,  51,75- 

1  os,  D. 

Pss.  55,78,  119. 

(9  lines) 

6s. 

Ps.  13. 

(12  lines) 

L.  P.  M.  D. 

Ps.  84  (  =  136,  with  every  third 
line  condensed). 

I  have  not  had  the  means  of  absolutely  checking 
up  these  tunes  with  all  the  other  books  of  the  period. 
At  least  half  of  them,  as  is  implied  in  Ainsworth's 
Preface,  can  be  found  in  one  or  both  of  the  two  Stern- 
hold  and  Hopkins  versions.  It  is  safe  to  assume  that 
much  more  than  a  majority  of  all  are  of  French  origin, 
since  many  melodies  already  in  English  use  were  taken 
from  the  Genevan  Psalters.  This  is  certainly  true 
of  the  two  that  linger  in  modern  hymnals  —  'Old  iooth' 
and  'Old  124th*  (or  'Toulon'),  the  latter  of  which  now 
known  only  with  one  of  its  five  lines  omitted  [  this 
tune  here  appears  as  Ps.  8  ].  Those  that  seem  least 
likely  to  be  English  in  either  origin  or  use  are  Pss.  3, 
I3>'i8,  25, 33, 35, 37, 39,  45,  53,  S5>  60,  66, 78,  84, 97, 1 1 1 
and  119.  Almost  every  one  of  these  is  extended,  and 
most  of  them  are  fitted  to  ten-syllable  lines.  Ainsworth's 
notably  abundant  use  of  these  long  pentameter  forms 
is  plainly  due  to  his  desire  to  avail  himself  of  the 
many  fine  French  melodies  at  hand.  The  French 
Psalters  were  in  this  regard  strikingly  different  from 
the  English. 

The  mode  of  the  melodies  is  minor  in  three  out  of 
every  four  cases.  Those  that  are  to  be  counted  as 
major  include  Pss.  5,  8,  24,  37,  39,  44,  84  (=136),  97> 
100,  108  and  119.  A  few  were  probably  conceived  in  a 
Gregorian  scale  not  quite  like  our  modern  minor.  The 
difficulty  is  that  in  all  the  minors,  as  well  as  in  one  or 

IS 


two  of  those  assumed  to  be  major,  and  repeatedly 
where  modulation  seems  to  take  place,  we  cannot  tell 
with  absolute  certainty  how  far  the  seventh  degree  was 
sharped  in  singing  or  just  how  the  sixth  degree  was 
treated  in  consequence.  It  is  likely  that,  unless  col- 
lateral evidence  of  some  sort  is  forthcoming,  the  precise 
interpretation  of  some  melodies  will  vary  with  different 
observers,  and  there  are  even  cases  where  two  diverse 
interpretations  seem  almost  equally  attractive. 

It  would  be  very  wrong  to  imagine  that  these  tunes 
conform  to  the  rigid  and  artificial  rhythmic  regularity 
that  became  the  fashion  in  all  Protestant  psalmody 
during  the  17th  century  —  a  stiff  heaviness  that  we 
are  now  too  apt  to  think  was  the  original  characteristic 
of  this  whole  type  of  song.  In  these,  as  in  other  early 
tunes  generally,  there  almost  certainly  ran  originally 
a  sustained  vivacity,  variety  and  vigor  akin  to  our 
modern  notion  of  a  glee  or  part-song.  In  Ainsworth 
there  is  not  a  single  tune  in  even  or  uniform  notes. 
Three-quarters  of  the  252  lines  begin  with  a  long 
note,  sometimes  three  or  five.  One-quarter  begin 
with  a  short  note,  sometimes  more  than  one.  Every 
real  line  ends  with  a  long  note,  often  three.  But  within 
the  lines  the  schemes  of  longs  and  shorts  vary  consid- 
erably—  not  capriciously,  but  with  evident  attention 
to  the  interest  there  is  in  changing  patterns.  All  told, 
there  are  nearly  forty-five  distinct  line-rhythms,  a  few 
of  them  quite  unknown  in  present  tune-writing.  Com- 
parison with  other  books  shows  that  the  dispositions 
of  accent  and  quantity  were  intentional  and  established. 
As  a  whole,  this  music  represents  the  folk-song  style, 
with  its  symmetrical  and  echoing  lines,  each  with  a 

16 


definite  unity  and  all  fused  into  a  total  enveloping 
unity.  But  it  is  folk-song  that  has  retained  great 
freedom  of  inner  structure.  It  may  be  that  these 
thirty-nine  melodies  illustrate  more  than  one  strain  of 
folk-song  tradition. 

For  example,  there  are  eight  different  rhythms  for 
six-syllable  lines,  among  them  the  curious  'snap'  form 
found  in  Ps.  24,  lines  b,  d,  /",  h>  and  in  54,  line  d.  For 
eight-syllable  lines  there  are  no  less  than  twenty 
rhythms,  including  peculiar  forms  like  those  in  6cW,  or 
in  54<2,  or  in  75^/,  the  first  two  of  which  also  include 
a  'snap'  effect.  Ten-syllable  lines  are  treated  in  fif- 
teen rhythms,  including  two  with  a  'snap'  in  %c  and 
in  \%b.  What  is  here  called  a  'snap*  is  an  accented 
short  note  followed  by  a  long  one,  producing  a  syncopa- 
tion that  is  often  effective,  though  a  trifle  disconcerting 
to  the  unwary  singer  to-day.  This  whole  subject  merits 
much  greater  analysis  than  can  here  be  undertaken. 
If  followed  out  in  detail,  it  probably  strengthens  the 
view  that  Ainsworth  is  much  affected  by  the  French 
traditions  of  song  that  were  not  altogether  acceptable 
to  English  editors,  though  many  of  them  were  in- 
corporated into  the  Scottish  editions  of  Sternhold  and 
Hopkins. 

These  melodies  were  undoubtedly  meant  to  be  sung 
in  unison,  led  by  the  men's  voices,  since  the  melody  is 
set  for  the  'tenor'.  Whatever  may  have  been  true  of 
the  two  or  three  hundred  members  of  the  original 
congregation  in  Leyden,  as  evidenced  by  Winslow's 
remark  previously  quoted,  it  is  not  likely  that  the 
hundred  Pilgrims  who  came  to  Plymouth  did  much 
singing  in  parts.  In  England,  to  be  sure,  there  had 
been  harmonized  versions  of  Psalter  music  published 
as  early  as  1563  (Day),  with  others  in  1579  (Damon), 
1592  (Este)  and  1599  (Allison).    In  Scotland  they  did 

17 


not  come  in  till  1635.  It  is  not  clear,  however,  that 
any  of  these  much  affected  the  practice  of  congregations 
generally.  If  the  melody  was  thus  supported,  it  would 
be  by  a  'bass'  below,  an  'alto'  (or  'high'  part)  above, 
and  perhaps  a  'treble'  (or  'third'  part)  above  that. 
The  transfer  of  leadership  to  the  upper  women's  voices 
did  not  become  established  till  long  after  1612.  We 
may  reasonably  conjecture  that  whatever  part-singing 
was  attempted  was  more  contrapuntal  in  impulse  than 
harmonic,  with  more  attention,  that  is,  to  the  combined 
crun'  of  the  voices  among  themselves  than  for  the 
complete  chord-sequences  as  such,  though  at  this 
period,  especially  with  melodies  of  this  folk-song  class, 
the  latter  were  coming  into  decided  prominence. 

In  regarding  all  melodies  of  these  old  days  we  must 
not  forget  that  the  Pilgrims  moved  in  a  song-atmosphere 
quite  different  from  that  which  is  common  to-day. 
Melodies  were  mostly  caught  by  ear  and  caught  from 
an  actual  singing-voice,  not  from  an  organ,  harpsichord 
or  similar  instrument.  They  were  thought  as  pure 
melodies,  not  as  contours  of  a  flowing  stream  of  key- 
board harmony.  And  they  were  amalgamated  with 
actual  words,  text  and  tune  standing  as  one  indissoluble 
unity.  Doubtless,  too,  to  these  old  singers,  because 
they  were  singers,  every  melodic  interval,  every  scale- 
tone  as  such  and  every  turn  in  the  rhythmic  accent 
and  movement  had  point  and  meaning  to  a  degree  of 
intensity  that  is  rare  in  popular  feeling  to-day.  We 
can  recover  the  artistic  color  of  these  old  songs  only 
through  the  help  of  some  specially  sympathetic  inter- 
pretation by  a  trained  vocal  interpreter,  or,  failing  that, 
through  some  dextrous  addition  of  the  chord-effects 
that  we  now  expect  as  a  matter  of  course.     In  all 

18 


attempts  at  reproduction  careful  attention  is  due  to 
the  shaping  and  animating  force  of  t-he  varying  line- 
rhythms,  and  these  deserve  in  many  cases  to  be  studied 
with  reference  to  their  derivation  from  the  vigorous 
movements  of  the  sprightly  folk-dance.  It  may  be 
guessed  that  the  tempo  originally  was  not  slow  or  heavy 
but  lively  and  sparkling,  and  that  the  accents  were 
full  and  hearty. 

Thus  regarded  and  handled,  these  old  tunes  prove 
anything  but  monotonous  or  dolorous,  or  even  very 
strange  to  our  taste.  Many  of  them  turn  out  to  be 
true  works  of  simple  art,  not  only  admirably  adapted 
to  their  purpose,  but  appealing  to  any  healthy  appre- 
ciation. Yet,  at  the  best,  we  cannot  be  sure  that  we 
can  fully  enter  into  their  spirit.  We  no  longer  have 
quite  the  same  religious  absorption  in  the  belief  that 
with  the  Psalms  for  text  we  are  singing  what  the  very 
hand  of  God  wrote  for  the  perpetual  use  of  His  people. 
And,  on  the  musical  side,  we  no  longer  have  the  sub- 
conscious sense  of  those  medieval  or  ecclesiastical 
modes  that  were  still  vital  and  potent  in  the  minds  of 
singers  in  the  Elizabethan  era,  with  the  shadowy 
atmosphere  of  tone-relations  that  hung  about  them  like 
a  delicate  aura. 

As  has  been  said,  it  is  unlikely  that  any  of  the  Ains- 
worth  tunes  were  new  or  even  freshly  adapted.  Many 
of  them  can  be  traced  back  into  the  16th  century  in 
various  English  and  French  Psalters.  Their  primary 
significance  lies  not  in  their  being  in  any  way  extraordi- 
nary, but  in  the  fact  that  this  particular  sheaf  of  sacred 
songs  was  in  the  hands  and  hearts  of  the  little  band 
of  New  England  pioneers.    If  the  venture  at  Plymouth 

19 


had  been  practically  more  successful,  and  if  Plymouth 
had  become  the  civil  and  religious  center  of  New 
England,  the  story  of  our  early  psalmody  might  have 
been  quite  different  from  what  it  was,  just  as  its  politi- 
cal and  social  development  might  also  have  been 
different.  For  this  reason  alone  it  is  worth  while 
to  have  these  melodies  made  accessible  by  reprinting 
them  in  full. 

But  there  is  another  reason.  In  music-history  it 
is  customary  to  emphasize  the  time  about  1600  as 
that  in  which  modern  conceptions  of  structure  and 
effect  began  to  replace  those  of  the  medieval  period. 
In  particular,  this  was  the  time  when  the  dramatic 
recitative  and  arioso  began  to  be  recognized,  leading 
in  just  the  years  when  Ainsworth  was  evolving  his 
Psalter  to  the  launching  of  the  complex  entertainment 
that  we  call  the  'opera'  (Monteverdi's  'Orfeo'  was  pro- 
duced in  1603  and  his  'Arianna'  in  1608,  and  he  went 
to  Venice  in  1613).  One  of  the  prime  factors  in  the 
momentous  shift  that  was  taking  place  in  all  artistic 
music  was  the  spontaneous  vitality  that  was  being 
discovered  in  the  popular  songs  of  several  countries. 
It  was  from  this  general  treasury  of  popular  songs  that 
the  new  Protestant  movement  adopted  or  adapted 
its  tunes  for  religious  uses.  This  was  alike  true  in 
Germany,  in  Switzerland  and  France,  down  the  Rhine 
Valley  and  in  the  Low  Countries,  and  across  the  Channel 
in  England.  The  first  stage  of  this  special  develop- 
ment extended  toward  the  middle  or  even  the  end  of 
the  17th  century.  It  then  passed  over  into  a  second 
stage,  especially  in  Germany,  when  the  varied  original 
materials  were  worked  over  into  the  more  sophisticated 
type  of  the  traditional  'chorale'  and  then  became  the 

20 


basis  for  a  fresh  contrapuntal  and  instrumental  develop- 
ment, culminating  in  the  first  half  of  the  18th  century 
in  the  sublime  work  of  the  great  Bach.  The  manifold 
interest  and  importance  of  this  second  stage  tends  to 
hide  from  view  the  charm  of  the  initial  stage  that 
preceded  it.  Anything,  therefore,  which  brings  back 
to  memory  the  quality  of  the  original  songs  of  Protes- 
tantism has  value.  No  one  would  exalt  the  music  of 
the  Ainsworth  Psalter  as  in  the  least  conspicuous  or 
important  in  this  total  historic  movement.  But  it  is 
an  interesting  bit  of  concrete  evidence.  This  Psalter 
is  one  of  a  considerable  number  before  1650  that  pre- 
serve the  naive  freshness  of  song  that  was  character- 
istic of  Protestantism  at  its  youthful  stage. 

In  view  of  what  this  Ainsworth  music  was  one 
wonders  that  instead  of  exerting  some  perceptible  in- 
fluence in  its  American  habitat  it  practically  vanished 
from  popular  memory.  By  about  1700  it  appears  that 
but  one  of  its  tunes  remained  in  common  use  — 'Old 
100th/  —  and  this  only  because  established  in  usage 
through  other  books.  There  were  some  later  efforts 
at  intervals  to  recover  a  few  more,  but  they  accom- 
plished nothing  significant. 

One  reason  was  that  Ainsworth  was  the  book  of 
Plymouth  rather  than  of  Boston.  Its  prestige  was 
quite  overshadowed  by  that  of  the  Puritan  'Bay 
Psalm-Book'  and  the  tunes  from  the  English  Sternhold 
and  Hopkins  that  were  associated  with  the  latter. 
Just  as  in  Great  Britain  the  Scottish  Sternhold  and 
Hopkins,  which  was  musically  superior  to  the  English 
version,  was  driven  into  the  background  by  the  latter's 
popularity,  so  in  New  England  the  vogue  of  the  'Bay 
Psalm-Book'  was  fatal  to  all  rivals. 

21 


Another  reason,  more  essential  and  practically  potent, 
was  the  fact  that  Ainsworth  represented  a  freer  use  of 
verse-forms  than  either  Sternhold  and  Hopkins  or  the 
'Bay  Psalm-Book. '  A  large  section  of  its  tunes,  there- 
fore, did  not  fit  the  meters  of  the  latter  books.  The 
17th  century,  we  recall,  was  the  time  when  'Common 
Meter'  became  regnant  —  in  some  quarters  exclusive. 
The  'Bay  Psalm-Book'  used  only  six  meters,  and  cm. 
was  put  forward  in  four  out  of  every  five  cases.  At 
least  fifteen  of  the  Ainsworth  tunes  were  thereby  ruled 
out  altogether,  among  them  some  of  the  best. 

A  third  reason  was  the  steadily  declining  interest 
among  English-speaking  Protestants  in  the  technique 
of  congregational  song.  This  made  it  hard  on  either 
side  of  the  water  to  maintain  tunes  of  the  length  and 
variety  of  those  in  Ainsworth.  What  was  the  condi- 
tion in  England  is  well  set  forth  in  chap.  iii.  of  Light- 
wood's  Hymn-Tunes  and  their  Story  (1905),  and, 
remembering  how  scattered  and  primitive  were  the 
focal  points  of  culture  in  the  American  colonies  till 
the  1 8th  century,  we  may  be  sure  that  here  conditions 
were  infinitely  less  favorable.  In  1692  the  Plymouth 
Church  formally  recognized  the  'difficulties'  of  many  of 
the  Ainsworth  tunes  and  granted  permission  for  the 
substitution  of  easier  ones  from  the  New  England 
Version. 

There  is  perhaps  another  factor  that  merits  a  further 
word,  even  though  it  be  hard  to  define  without  going 
into  a  special  dissertation.  When  the  Pilgrims  came  to 
Plymouth  they  were  plainly  still  in  that  early  ardor 
for  Protestant  ideas  and  practices  that  had  marked  all 
similar  bodies  throughout  the  16th  century.     Public 

22 


worship  as  an  institution  was  not  only  reverenced, 
but  intensely  loved,  since  it  was  the  visible  mani- 
festation of  the  spiritual  fraternity  of  believers  in  the 
presence  and  thought  of  God.  It  was  known  to  be  a 
positive  means  of  grace  largely  because  in  it  and 
through  it  the  democratic  congregationality  of  the 
brotherhood  came  to  definite  expression.  Its  heart 
and  core  was  that  body  of  common  prayer  and  praise 
which  was  felt  to  be  in  a  true  sense  sacramental,  and 
to  which  what  we  call  'preaching'  was  meant  to  con- 
tribute. Hence  resulted  the  extraordinary  respect 
that  was  paid  to  everything  connected  with  the  con- 
gregational exercises  of  prayer  and  praise,  as  well  as 
their  great  extension  in  the  regular  services.  Although 
sermons  were  long,  the  prayers  and  the  psalms  were 
at  least  as  long,  probably  often  longer.  Every  service 
included  two  extended  prayers,  one  by  the  'pastor* 
and  the  other  by  the  'teacher',  and  two  liberal  selections 
from  the  Psalter,  which  was  sung  through  in  order  from 
first  to  last  in  the  course  of  some  period  like  a  year. 
As  a  little  token  of  how  the  psalmody  was  regarded,  it 
is  said  that  for  a  long  time  if  during  the  week  one  were 
passing  a  house  where  some  one  within  was  humming 
a  snatch  of  a  psalm-tune,  the  chance  hearer  took  off 
his  hat  as  a  devout  Italian  uncovers  when  a  procession 
passes  bearing  a  bit  of  the  consecrated  Host. 

But  in  America,  as  in  England,  there  began  in  the 
17th  century  that  impressive  and  lamentable  change  in 
liturgical  emphasis  through  which  ministeriality  was 
exalted  over  congregationality,  bringing  with  it  in 
public  worship  the  gradual  dominance  over  everything 
of  the  sermon,  often  as  a  display  of  intellectual  prowess. 

23 


In  consequence,  the  congregation  came  to  regard  its 
function  as  less  that  of  activity,  and  sank  into  the  atti- 
tude of  the  passive  recipient,  if  not  that  of  the  captious 
critic.  We  to-day  suffer  grievously  from  the  fruits  of 
this  insidious  process  of  change.  But  the  immediate 
musical  result  was  the  debilitation  and  flattening  out 
of  everything  connected  with  congregational  song. 
Such  fresh  and  hearty  tunes  as  Bradford  and  Winslow 
knew  were  bound  to  disappear.  They  cost  too  much  in 
the  way  of  concentration  of  effort  and  warmth  of  inner 
impulse.  They  were  the  voice  of  an  age  and  a  spirit 
that  were  beginning  to  pass  away.  In  the  18th  century, 
and  at  intervals  later,  there  have  been  instinctive 
movements  to  recover  the  original  liturgical  fervor  of 
youthful  Protestantism.  But  none  of  these  have  lasted 
long  or  proved  conspicuously  effective,  since  none  of 
them  has  quite  gone  to  the  root  of  the  matter.  That 
root,  it  is  obvious,  lies  imbedded  in  many  complex 
conditions  and  conceptions  that  do  not  belong  at  all 
in  the  realm  of  music,  though  they  sometimes  display 
their  consequences  within  that  realm. 

However  these  things  may  be,  we  to-day  may  well 
stand  in  reverent  interest  before  whatever  serves  to 
bring  before  us  the  spirit  of  those  early  days  when  for 
an  entire  congregation  to  sing  together  with  full  heart 
and  voice  was  counted  one  of  the  finest  and  most 
precious  of  privileges. 


It  may  be  well  to  add  a  few  hints  as  to  the  varied  literature  bearing  upon  the 
subject  of  the  foregoing  discussion. 

Regarding  the  Pilgrims  in  particular  and  the  total  Puritan  movement,  with 
which  they  were  more  or  less  involved,  a  multitude  of  books  have  been  pub- 
lished. None  of  these,  however,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  treats  in  detail  of  the 
music  here  under  consideration.  Dexter's  The  England  and  Holland  of  the 
Pilgrims,  1905,  contains  many  items  about  Ainsworth  and  his  relation  to  the 
churches  in  Holland.  Miss  Earle's  The  Sabbath  in  New  England,  1891,  has 
an  extended  chapter  upon  Ainsworth's  Psalter,  but  this  is  not  entirely  satis- 
factory or  trustworthy,  especially  as  regards  the  verse  and  the  music.  On 
the  other  hand,  in  Publications  of  the  Colonial  Society  of  Mass.,  i.  228-38,  is 
an  excellent  and  accurate  paper  by  S.  Lothrop  Thorndike  on 'The  Psalmodies 
of  Plymouth  and  Massachusetts  Bay'  which  does  real  justice  to  Ainsworth's 
use  of  French  melodies. 

Regarding  the  intricate  development  of  the  early  English  Psalters  the  best 
information  is  given  in  Julian's  Dictionary  of  Hymnology,  1892  (revised,  1907), 
under  'Psalters,  English',  'Psalters,  French',  'Old  Version',  'Scottish  Hymnody', 
etc.  Numerous  lesser  works  on  hymnody  supply  some  points,  though  often 
without  precision. 

Regarding  the  early  Psalm-tunes,  reference  may  be  had  to  popular  books 
like  Lightwood's  Hymn-Tunes  and  their  Story,  1905,  Curwen's  excellent 
Studies  in  Worship-Music,  1st  Series,  1880  (3rd  ed.,  1901)  and  Love's  Scottish 
Church  Music,  1891.  Of  the  greatest  importance  are  the  elaborate  disserta- 
tions in  Livingston's  The  Scottish  Metrical  Psalter  of  1635,  1864.  The  more 
comprehensive  general  treatises,  like  Doue.i's  Cle'ment  Marot  et  le  Psautier 
Huguenot,  1878-79,  will  mostly  be  found  listed  in  Julian,  though  their  number 
is  still  growing.  Some  points,  also,  can  be  traced  in  German  authorities,  such 
as  Kiimmerle's  Encyclopedic  der  evangelischen  Kirchenmusik,  1888-95,  though 
these  seldom  do  full  justice  to  matters  outside  the  German  field. 

Regarding  the  course  of  Psalmody  in  America  there  are  such  handbooks 
as  Hood's  History  of  Music  in  New  England,  1846,  Ritter's  unsympathetic 
Music  in  America,  1883  (revised,  1890),  Elson's  History  of  American  Music, 
1904  (revised,  191 5),  and  articles  on  'Bay  Psalm-Book'  and 'Tune-Books' in 
Grove's  Dictionary  of  Music,  Vol.  vi  (American  Supplement),  1920. 

Many  statements  in  the  notes  appended  to  the  melodies  following  are  based 
upon  Livingston  or  Douen. 


25 


20  Pfalm.     VIIT. 

i.  To  die  mayfter  of  the  mnfil^  upon 
Gittith;  a  Pfalm  of  Darid. 

T  Ehovah  our  Lord ,how  wondrous- 


s.OMmw^m&^m 


2.  jLetcelletiV  thy  name  in  al  i he  earth: 
•which  haft  given  thy  glorious -majef- 
tie,  above  the  heaven?. 

3.  Out-of  the  mouth  of  babes,  & 
fucklinqs.thou  haft -founded  ftrength; 
hccaufe  of  thy-diftreffers-.to  makeccafe 
theenemie,  &  felf- avenger. 

4.  When  I  behold  thy  heaveos,the 
deed  of  thy  fingers  :  the  moon  and 
the  ftarrs,  which  thou  haft  ftably-con- 
ftituted. 

5.  What  wfory-man  that  thoure- 
jnembrefthim  :  and  the  fonof  Adam, 
that  thou-vifiteft  him? 

6.  For  thou  haft  made-him.lefll*ra 
litlc,  than  the  Gods:  and  crowned  him 
with  glory  and  comely-honour. 

7.  Thou  gaveft-him-dominion,over 
the  works  of  thy  hand$:all,thou-didft- 
fett  under  his  feet. 

8.  Sheep  and  oxen  al  of  them:  and 
alfo ,  the  beafts  of  the  fcild. 

j?.  The  fowl  of  the  heavens,  &  the 
fifties  of  the  fea  :  that-which-paffeth- 
through,thepathesofthe  feas. 

jo-  Ichovahour  Lord  :   how  won- 
drous-excellent ts  thy  name, 
in  al  the  earth. 


Jab  our  Lordthow  excellent-great  is 


thy  name  in  all  the  earth:  thou  which  haft  given 


^ 


thygloriotu-maitftie above  the  heaticn. 


m^=m 


3.  Fro  month  (f  babes  ^ fuellings  ytkou  fit  mnes 

fiundedft;  hccaufe  of  them  that,  thee  dtftrefsi 

To  ma\e  the  fie  ,  andfelfavenpr  leaf: 

4.  Wh en  1  behold  tbyheav'ns,  thy  fingers  deed: 
the  moon  and  Jlanstwhich  thou  haft  ft  abided. 

/.  What  is  fiayl-man  that  himthoa  remembrefli 
and  Adams  fun  y  that  him  thou  vtfitefl? 

6 .         For  thou  a  Ittle  lefter  hail  made  himt 
than  be  the  Gods:  and  crovtmdhm  withghrie 
and-eke  with  honourablc-decencie. 

?>  Ofthyhand-worl^.thougaveft  him ruling: 
under  hUfict,  thou  fet  drift  everj-thtnf. 

5.  Sheep  &  beeves  all:  and  fetid  beafti  frith  the 

9.  Fowl ofiheheavnsjijljcj  fht fea  alfo:       (fime. 
that  through  the  path-  Wayesofdiefeas  doothgofl 

10.  O  fab  our  Lord:how  extellcnt-great-feme 
m  all  the  earth  hath  thy  rcnoi-med-nxme. 

i^frmotAtions* 

ft,  ?.  Gittith]  OJ  the  Gittith:  toljitfj  title  id  alfo  gibCHtOtf|eSr.&  84.PfaImes.  Cathfo 
3£ct\:ue  \A  a  vvincprefs,Tfa.  *% .  1.  fjt  IJJ  fllfo  tfte  name  of  a  city  of  tfjC  ^Ijilifrhntf ,  1  Sam.  17  4. 
58  CiVicalfOOf  tJ|C  Xeuitf 0 luniU calfD  Gath-nmmonlof.zi.if.lBfjCtCupon  Obed-cdomtlje 

fonof  leduthun,  a ILcbtte auo finger m 3frae Muao  ralcba  Gmice.  1. Sam. *.io.  ^>ol? 
Gittith  iyevt  IIUIp bC meant,  tptijet  fuch  inftruments  as  were  ufed  by  the  poftenry  of  Obed-e- 
dom  ihs  Gittitej  02,tljat  tfjtfe  f&falme 6  Uw rc  nude  upon  cteafion  of  rranfiJoirutg  <&ob$  ar& 
froixtfK^otijfeoftrjatdbed-tdom,  t^c fjiflo^p tolKvof jjx in  1  Sam.*. 6. 10.  n.n  .  &c.  C& 
tfcattftefe  tdfamtetf  mere  roue  faig  foi  piatfe  of  <6oo,  at  the  IDmtaoe,  tonninrPttffiUKre 
pjeffeff.  ftuo  arcoibtng  to  this,  tfje  O  icrft  tranflatetf]  it  the  wineprefies.  <$}  it  map  be  ike 

xume  of  fome  mufical  inlbumcnt^UDfo  tOeCIttlDfeyarOttfyiXlfttalutJltt* 

$U  l.  OUT  Iwd}  c;,  QUI  luilejtttis ;  fee  t£r  uote OU P&l.  j.  .» .  wonJrous-cxcellcnt] 


A  page  from  the  Pilgrim  Psalter  (reduced) 
26 


THE  thirty-nine  melodies  in  Ainsworth  are  given  herewith, 
accompanied  in  each  case  by  some  single  stanza  of  the 
words  regularly  used.  For  convenience,  they  are  trans- 
scribed  in  modern  notation,  using  the  G-clef  instead  of  the  C- 
clef,  and  representing  i  by  J  ,  *  by  J  and  J  by  o  (though  prop- 
erly pi  ).  The  pitch  indicated  is  that  of  the  original,  though  the 
change  of  clefs  transposes  it  an  octave  upward.  When  a  flat 
occurs  in  the  signature,  or  as  an  accidental,  it  is  reproduced.  In 
cases  where  contemporaneous  books  show  that  sharps  were  in- 
troduced in  singing,  they  are  indicated  above  the  staff.  Where  a 
sharp  maybe  conjectured,  but  is  not  thus  supported  by  evidence, 
it  is  put  in  parenthesis.  Some  problematical  cases  are  further 
indicated  by  a  query. 

The  original  music  is  without  bars,  except  to  mark  the  end 
of  the  tune.  The  ends  of  the  lines  are  more  or  less  consistently 
indicated  by  'checks',  which  are  here  reproduced  by  a  mark  at 
the  top  of  the  staff.  In  the  original  the  tunes  have  the  time- 
signature  $,  with  the  exception  of  five  cases  (42,  45,  50,  51,  1 11). 
It  seems  evident  that  this  indicates  in  general  what  was  sometimes 
called  'alia  semibreve*  or  'alia  cappella'  time.  But  its  applica- 
tion in  many  cases  is  by  no  means  clear,  since  the  rhythmic 
feet  are  triple  rather  than  duple.  It  is  important  to  remember 
that  in  some  books  of  the  periods  such  feet  were  made  duple 
by  dotting  the  long  notes.  Whether  this  alteration  was  common 
in  actual  singing  is  unknown. 

In  selecting  single  stanzas  to  go  with  the  melodies  the  aim  was 
to  take  those  that  are  somewhat  complete  in  thought  and  fairly 
finished  in  expression.  The  original  spelling  is  retained,  but  not 
the  punctuation. 

With  each  tune  a  few  brief  notes  are  subjoined,  recalling 
points  about  its  derivation  and  previous  usage  or  emphasizing 
features  in  the  melody  that  are  worth  observing.  These  latter 
remarks  mainly  concern  the  modes  used  or  the  line-rhythms 
or  the  modulations  implied  or  the  melodic  devices,  including 
cadence-formulae.  These  notes  are  by  no  means  all  that  might 
be  made,  but  they  will  serve  to  bring  out  some  of  the  salient 
technical  points. 

27 


Psalms  i  and  68  (also  4,  1 1,  19,  76,  98,  1 10,  121,  127,  144).  c.  m.  d. 


I  JjJJj  J  J  J  J 


5 


I :]  I  r  r 


p 


i 


f 


sn 


I  r  J  rrrrr  P^P 


I J  g  J  j  j 


j  j  i »  I 


O  blessed  man,  that  dooth  not  in 

The  wicked's  counsel  walk 
Nor  stand  in  synner's  way,  nor  sit 

In  seat  of  scornful  folk, 
But  setteth  in  Jehovah's  law 

His  pleasureful  delight, 
And  in  His  law  dooth  meditate 

By  day  and  eke  by  night. 


[Ps.  1] 


In  Sternhold  and  Hopkins,  both  forms,  the  'proper'  tune  for  Ps.  119. 
Appeared  in  the  partial  London  Psalter  of  1560  with  Whittingham's  new 
version  of  that  Psalm. 

Rhythm  of  line  a  found  elsewhere  only  in  ye. 

Line  g  is  tonally  the  same  as  34^. 

Lines  c-d  modulate  into  the  dominant  minor,  and  f  into  the  relative  major. 


28 


Psalms  3  and  86  (also  6,  $$,  119,  120).     10s. 


i 


*=£ 


zz: 


e  e  ■  g 


# 


P     6 


?N^ 


#-* 


I  layd  me  down  and  slept;    I  waking  rose; 

For  me  Jehovah  firmly  up  did  bear. 

For  thowsands  ten  of  folk  I  wil  not  fear, 
Which  me  begetting  round  about  inclose. 


[P3.3] 


The  only  melody  in  10s  that  has  a  uniform  line-rhythm,  which  is  the 
commonest  form  for  io-syllable  lines.  It  can  be  regarded  as  laid  out  in  either 
2/2  or  3/2  measures.  The  latter  pattern  (the  first  of  three  beats  divided)  was 
a  favorite  with  Lowell  Mason,  though  used  by  him  for  shorter  lines. 

Line  a  curiously  resembles  the  opening  of  a  tune  set  to  Ps.  74  in  the  Genevan 
Psalter  of  1 562,  though  the  latter  is  in  major.  But  the  rest  of  the  two  melodies 
are  quite  different.    (See  Douen,  i.  661.) 

Line  b  modulates  into  the  dominant  minor,  perhaps  throughout. 


29 


Psalm  5.     l.  m. 


I 


m     f?      m 


1 


m^ 


i 


'  g  r  r« 


3T 


£ 


And  all  that  hope  in  Thee  for  stay 
Shal  joy,  shal  showt  eternallie; 

And  Thou  shalt  cover  them;    and  they 
That  love  Thy  name,  be  glad  in  Thee. 


[Ps.5] 


In  Scottish  S&H.  (from  1595)  set  to  the  versified  Ten  Commandments. 
It  comes  from  the  Genevan  Psalter  of  1556. 

The  rhythm  of  a  is  unique  in  the  juxtaposition  of  duple  and  triple  feet. 
But  it  is  possible  that  in  singing  the  latter  were  made  duple  by  dotting  the 
minims.    This  adjustment  often  occurs  in  Este's  harmonized  Psalter  of  1592. 

Line  c  probably  modulates  into  the  dominant  major. 

The  echo  between  b  and  d  is  effective. 


30 


Psalm  7  and  74  (also  10,  14,  16,  83,  90,  1 16,  143).    c.  m.  d. 


$ 


J  ^ J  r  n 


m    r    m    m 


£ 


*■ 


a ■ 


£ 


/ 


f 


fc 


Jehovah,  Thou  wilt  quicken  me 

Ev'n  for  Thyne  own  name's  sake; 
Thou  in  Thy  justice  forth  my  sowl 

Out  of  distress  wilt  take. 
And  in  Thy  mercie  wilt  suppress 

My  foes,  and  al  of  them 
Destroy  that  doo  afflict  my  sowl; 

For  I  Thy  servant  am. 


[P3.I43] 


In  S&H.,  both  forms,  the  'proper'  tune  for  Ps.  130.  It  comes  from  the 
Genevan  Psalter  of  1542,  and  is  also  in  the  Strassburg  Psalter  of  1539. 

The  peculiar  rhythm  of  e  recalls  \a. 

Other  versions  do  not  agree  as  to  the  second  and  third  sharps.  In  the  1629 
English^  book  both  a are  included  and  g  ends  with  b-natural.  The  intended 
harmonic  scheme  is  in  doubt,  but  analogy  suggests  that  the  three  sharps  should 
be  kept,  but  not  the  natural.  The  modulations,  then,  would  be  the  usual 
ones,  into  the  dominant  minor  and  the  relative  major. 


31 


Psalm  8  (also  17,  23,  3$,  77,  85,  92,  124).     10s,  5  lines. 


O— r. 


±3C 


g 


iPP 


£ 


*-* 


£=F 


e 


rz: 


33: 


£ 


Our  sowl  is  as  a  bird  escaped  free 

From  out  of  the  intangling  fowler's  snare. 
The  snare  is  broke  and  we  escaped  are. 

Our  succour  in  Jehovah's  name  shal  bee 

That  of  the  heav'ns  and  earth  is  the  maker. 


[Ps.  124  1 


In  S&H.,  both  forms,  the  'proper'  tune  for  Ps.  124.  It  was  taken  in  1560 
from  the  Genevan  Psalter  of  1559,  but  first  appeared  in  1551.  It  is  attributed 
to  Louis  Bourgeois,  but  the  traditional  harmony  is  Goudimel's.  It  is  now 
commonly  reduced  to  four  lines  by  omitting  c.  This  modified  version,  often 
with  changed  rhythm  and  the  second  cadence  inverted,  is  usually  called 
'Toulon'. 

The   rhythm  off  is  unique,  though  the  'snap'  effect  is  parallelled  in  i83. 


3* 


Psalm  13  (also  88,  130).     6s,  9  lines. 


3 


«) 


ffl 


£ 


f 


1 


*  *  * 


m^a 


f 


M. 


Ji'JrrJJ»  1 


m 


I  counted  am  with  them 
That  doo  go  down  the  pit; 

I  am  as  man  that  hath 
Abilitie  no  whit. 

Ev'n  free  among  the  dead, 
As  slayn  in  grave  that  lay, 

Whom  Thou  dost  mind  no  more, 
Because  from  Thy  hand  they 
Have  quite  been  cut  away. 


(Ps.  88) 


Apparently  Dorian,  though  the  practical  treatment  is  not  clear.  Modula- 
tion into  the  dominant  minor  is  likely  in  b  and  dy  and  probably  into  the  rela- 
tive major  in  e-f. 

The  rather  unusual  pairs  of  notes  in  e  and  f  may  point  to  derivation  from 
4-note  lines,  possibly  an  immature  stage  of  the  stanza  later  called  'Hallelu- 
jah Meter'  (6666,  4444).    cf.  the  form  of  Ps.  108. 


33 


Psalm  15  (also  131).     c.  m. 


«) 


i^SS 


£ 


i 


^ 


j  p  r  r  r J  J  j  J    ,J  J  J  ^ 


Jehovah,  who  shal  sojourner 
In  Thy  pavilion  bee? 

Who  shal  a  dweller  be  within 
Thy  mount  of  sanctitie? 


[Ps.  15] 


This  simple  'short*  tune  sounds  like  those  later  known  as  'common*  tunes 
(tunes  in  C.  M.  adaptable  to  any  Psalm  in  that  meter).  But  I  have  not  identi- 
fied it  as  such.  .  e ,        , 

The  rhythms  are  all  different.  That  of  a  is  unique,  while  those  01  b  and  c 
are  elsewhere  found  only  in  54^  and  89*  respectively. 

Line  b  seems  to  modulate  into  the  relative  major. 


34 


Psalms  18  and  69  (also  2,  38,  45,  52,  63,  72,  107,  140).   10s,  6  lines. 


M 


& 


PWF 


m   a)   (it) 


il 


i 


^— -0- 


ZZ 


J2: 


« — *  d    O — m\      0    m-& 


ill 


f 


*e 


f ,J  j  g  g  1  g 


/ 


I  love  Thee  deer,  Jehovah  my  firmness; 
Jehovah  is  my  rock  and  my  fortress, 
And  my  deliverer,  my  God  is  Hee, 
My  rock,  in  whom  I  sheltred  hope  to  bee 
My  shield  and  horn  of  my  salvation, 
My  fensed  hye  fortification.  [  Ps.  18  j 

This  extended  and  individual  tune  I  have  not  yet  identified  in  other  books. 

It  may  be  conceived  without  modulation.  But  the  unique  cadence  in  c 
is  surprising,  and  that  of  e  is  ambiguous.  I  incline  to  read  f-sharp  throughout, 
but  with  hesitation  inf. 

The  rhythm  of  f  is  unique,  and  that  of  b  found  only  in  250  and  55^  (both 
tunes  of  French  origin). 

The  device  of  beginning  with  three  reiterated  notes,  as  in  a  and  c ,  occurs 
also  in  25^,  37^,  42a,  5ori,  510c,  55<M,  6o</,  78*,  84^/r,  iood  and  \\9efg.  All 
these,  except  possibly  42,  are  probably  French. 


35 


Psalm  21  (also  93,  134).     s.  m. 


B 


3 


£ 


« 


It? 


Jehovah,  in  Thy  strength 
Doo  high  Thyself  advance; 

And  we  wil  sing  and  praise  with  psalm 
Thy  powrful  puissance. 


Ps.  21  1 


This  melody  resembles  that  for  Ps.  54,  though  the  latter  is  in  C.  M.  and  is 
tonally  identical  only  in  spots.  The  'common'  tune  called  'London'  in  the 
Scottish  S&H.  ('Cambridge'  in  the  English)  of  161 5  and  '35  consists  of  s^al 
4-  lied.  This  tune,  in  some  one  of  its  varying  forms,  is  at  least  as  old  aj 
Damon's  Psalter  of  1 577.  1 1  is  supposed  to  be  of  English  origin  (see  Livingston. 
passim).    It  is  not  to  be  confused  with 'London  New'  or 'Newtoun*. 

The  rhythm  off,  combining  duple  and  triple  feet,  occurs  elsewhere  only  in 
54*.    But  se-  note  under  Ps.  5. 


36 


Psalm  22  (also  19).     c.  m.  d. 


d   r  e  d 


*=* 


m 


% 


m    m 


2 


2 


3 


^ 


£p£ 


xr~ 


Jehovah's  law,  it  perfect  is, 

The  sowl  agayn  turning; 
Jehovah's  witness  faithful  is, 

The  simple  wise  making; 
Jehovah's  charges  righteous  are, 

Giving  hart's  glad  delight; 
Jehovah's  precept,  it  is  pure, 

Giving  the  eyes  clear  light. 


[Ps.  19] 


In  S&H.,  English,  the  'proper'  tune  for  the  versified  Te  Deum.  As  it  is 
there  given  without  sharps,  it  seems  to  alternate  between  D  minor  and  F 
major.    It  is  there  divided  more  definitely  into  lines  than  here. 

The  rhythm  of  g,  as  here  given,  is  unique,  though  much  like  that  of  \a  and 

Line  b  perhaps  modulates  into  the  dominant  minor. 

The  strong  cadences  of  d  and  h  are  parallelled  in  2ja  and  75*. 


37 


Psalm  24  (also  29,  118).     c.  m.  d. 


n 


M=* 


P=) 


£ 


F=£ 


^ 


■    ■ 


P 


e — * 


5 


f 


s 


f 


■=3 


ccg     « 


* 


Lift  up,  ye  gates,  your  heads,  and  ye, 

Dores  of  eternal  aye, 
Be  lifted  up,  that  so  the  King 

Of  glory  enter  may! 
This  King  of  glory,  who  is  He? 

Jehovah,  puissant 
And  valiant,  Jehovah,  He 

In  battel  valiant. 


[Pi.  14] 


In  S&H.,  both  forms,  the  'proper'  tune  for  Ps.  77.  In  the  English  version 
also  set  for  Pss.  81  and  135.    Its  origin  is  probably  English. 

The  steady  triple  feet  in  the  8-syllable  lines  are  parallelled  only  in  Ps.32. 
The  peculiar  'snap'  rhythm  of  the  6-syllable  lines  is  found  only  in  54^/. 

The  only  certain  modulation  is  that  of  d  into  the  dominant  major,  though 
passing  into  the  relative  minor  is  feasible  in  b  and  /. 

The  subtle  echoes  between  parallel  lines  in  the  couplets  and  quatrains  are 
interesting. 


tf 


Psalm  25  (also  9,  37,  62,  71,  123).     10s. 


* 


d 


I 


£ 


27 


fe  J  j  ]  1 J  r  r  J  ^  J '  J  p  f  J  rj  J  J  li= 


Upon  Jehovah  turn  thy  way  aright, 

And  trust  on  Him,  and  He  wil  see  it  doon; 

And  wil  bring  forth  thy  justice  as  the  light, 
And  thy  judgment  as  the  bright  shining  noon. 


[Ps.37] 


Set  in  Genevan  Psalters  (from  at  least  1542)  to  Ps.  8,  but  in  the  meter 
ii-ii-io-io  (penultimate  note  in  a  and  b  divided.) 

The  rhythm  of  a  occurs  only  in  \%b  and  55^,  while  that  of  d  is  unique. 

Line  b  doubtless  modulates  into  the  relative  major.  The  use  of  the  flat  in  c, 
but  not  in  a,  suggests  that  a  is  conceived  as  ending  in  the  dominant  minor. 


39 


Psalms  27  and  106  (also  30,  36,  ioi,  109,  115).     cm.  d. 
*  ...    J_i_ 


sm 


sm 


i 


* 


t 


# — # 


i 


3 


S 


£ 


f 


m^j? 


*=* 


# — # 


Jehovah,  in  the  heavens  is 

Thy  bountiful  mercie; 
Thy  constant  faithfulness  dooth  reach 

Unto  the  hyest  skye. 
Thy  justice,  as  the  mounts  of  God; 

Thy  judgments,  a  great  deep; 
Jehovah,  Thou  doost  man  and  beast 

In  helthful  safety  keep. 


[Ps.  36] 


In  S&H.,  both  forms,  the  'proper'  tune  for  Ps.  18.     It  is  supposed  to  be  of 
English  origin. 

Lines  a-b,  here  treated  as  a  couplet,  are  divided  in  the  music  for  Ps.  106. 
The  only  modulation  is  in  <r,  into  the  dominant  minor. 
On  the  cadence  in  a,  see  Ps.  22. 


40 


Psalm  32  (also  28,  40,  70,  75,  102,  137).     l.  m.  d. 


It  ft 


wm 


w 


m — V w — u — 3    O — 73.    O 


3 


PPi 


a     aza     *    r, 


1     J  a   ^5 


r  r ,J  J  i  i 


1 


«^— # 


Jehovah's  song  how  sing  shal  wee 

Within  a  forreyn  people's  land? 
Jerusalem,  if  I  doo  thee 

Forget,  forget  let  my  right  hand, 
Cleav  let  my  tongue  to  my  palat, 

If  I  doo  not  in  mind  thee  bear, 
If  I  Jerusalem  doo  not 

Above  my  chiefest  joy  prefer. 


[Ps.  137] 


In  S&H.,  English,  set  to  'The  Lamentation  of  a  Sinner',  one  of  the  few 
pended  hymns.    Its  origin  is  doubtless  English. 
The  triple  movement  recalls  that  of  Ps.  24. 
Line  c  probably  modulates  into  the  relativt 


into  the  dominant  minor. 


ve  major,  as  e  and/  certainly  do 


IULU      UIV     UUllllllUUl.       1UI1IU1   • 

With  suitable  harmony,  as  supplied,  for  example,  in  Este's  Psalter  of  1592, 
this  apparently  monotonous  lament  takes  on  a  singularly  haunting  beauty. 


Psalms  33,  81  and  104  (also  47,  114,  148).     l.  m. 


^ 


($ 


£ 


P£ 


£ 


*P 


*=^ 


He  brings  forth  bread  out  of  the  ground, 
And  joyes  the  hart  of  man  with  wine; 
Makes  face  with  oil  chearful  to  shine, 

With  bread  man's  heart  upholdeth  sound. 


[Ps.  104] 


The  only  melody  in  what  appears  to  be  the  foliar,  mode.     If  conceived  in 
A  minor,  b  modulates  into  the  relative  major. 
The  rhythms  of  a  and  c  are  unique. 


4* 


Psalm  34  (also  82,  133,  149). 


l.  m.,  6  lines. 


i 


j  j  m  j  j 


w 


7* 


-V 


L+t±  1  r  r  r  r  r  r  r  r  i J 


j  j  j  J  i  J 


ppp 


1 


IZ2 


xr 


Who  is  the  man  that  life  dooth  will, 

That  loveth  dayes,  good  for  to  see? 
Refreyning  keep  thy  tongue  from  yll, 
Thy  lips  from  speaking  fallacee. 
Doo  good  and  evil  quite  eschew, 
Seek  peace  and  after  it  pursew. 


(Ps.34 


In  S&H.,  both  forms,  the  'proper'  tune  for  the  versified  Lord's  Prayer,  and 
in  the  Scottish  version  also  set  for  Ps.  112.  It  is  the  famous  German  melody 
'Vater  unser',  dating  from  at  least  as  early  as  1537.  It  came  into  English  use 
from  Geneva  by  1560,  if  not  earlier. 

The  peculiar  effect  of  the  five  long  notes  at  the  ends  of  lines  is  unique. 

Line  f  is  tonally  the  same  as  ig. 


43 


Psalms  35  and  77  (also  17,  31,  85,  92,  129,  142).    10s,  5  lines. 


^ 


?       ?      (#) 


5 


« — & 


£ 


#-# 


ife 


^S 


f 


i 


<g  ■  #  #  J  o 


00 


Say  to  my  sowl,  I  thy  salvation  am. 

Let  my  sowl-seekers  basht  and  shamed  be, 
Turnd  back  and  blush,  that  evil  think  for  me. 
As  chaff  before  the  wind,  so  be  those  same, 
And  th'Angel  of  Jehovah  driving  them.  [  Ps.  35] 

The  rhythm  of  a,  c  and  d  is  found  elsewhere  only  in  37/2  and  45a. 
Lines  c  and  d  appear  to  modulate  into  the  dominant  minor  and  the  relative 
major  respectively. 


*4 


Psalm  37  (also  52,  61,  78,  97).     10s. 

8) 


i 


i 


S£ 


? 


^3Z 


(L 


(k 


unm 


o — # 


3=* 


#-*-* 


Frett  not  thyself  for  them  that  evil  doon; 

Envie  not  them  that  doo  injuriousnes; 
For  as  the  grass  cut  down  they  shal  be  soon, 

And  fade  ev'n  as  the  budding  herb's  greennes.         [  Ps.  37] 

Probably  major,  with  modulations  in  a  and  c  into  the  subdominant  ana 
dominant  majors. 

The  rhythm  of  a  occurs  also  in  35acd  and  45a.    That  of  b  is  found  only  in 

The  duplication  of  cadences  in  b  and  d  is  noticeable. 


45 


Psalm  39  (also  41,  141).     c.  m.  d. 


ZL 


0 — 0 


J£ 


m_   *    F 


¥ 


r  r  r  r  r- 


+— ■ 


i 


l*-y 


^ 


/ 


gj 


»— g 


V- 


Fyre  in  my  meditation  burnd; 

I  with  my  tongue  did  speak. 
Jehovah,  make  me  know  mine  end, 

What  my  dayes'  mesure  eke; 
Know  let  me  how  short  liv'd  I  am. 

Loe,  Thou  hast  giv'n  my  dayes 
As  handbredths,  and  my  worldly  time 

Fore  Thee  as  nothing  weighes. 


[  Ps.  39 


This  cheerful  and  simple  melody  has  no  special  originality  to  the  modern 
ear,  but  may  have  been  unusual  in  its  day.  The  apparent  avoidance  of  modula- 
tions tends  toward  monotony,  but  is  offset  by  the  lilting  rhythms.  Line/ 
is  somewhat  striking. 

Cadences  in  falling  thirds,  as  in  a  and  f,  are  unusual  in  this  series,  especially 
in  major. 


Psalm  42  (also  43).     c.  m.  d. 


t 


£ 


3 


3 


f 


f^ 


£?=f 


/ 


i 


^ 


■     o 


Like  as  the  hinde  for  water-streams 

Dooth  bray  desirouslie, 
Ev'n  so  desirouslie  dooth  bray 

My  sowl,  O  God,  to  Thee. 
For  God,  ev'n  for  the  living  God, 

My  sowl  it  thirsteth  sore; 
O  when  shal  I  come  and  appear 

The  face  of  God  before? 


[Ps.42] 


In  S&H.,  both  forms,  the  'proper'  tune  for  Ps.  69,  but  c-d  are  not  united 
in  a  couplet.  In  the  Scottish  version  no  f-sharp  is  marked  in  c.  Its  origin  is 
supposed  to  be  English. 

Line  e  modulates  into  the  relative  major.  Line  c  is  open  to  more  than  one 
interpretation. 

The  two  pairs  of  identical  cadences  are  noticeable. 


47 


Psalm  44  (also  46,  48).     c.  m.  d. 


I^PP 


*=* 


^^ 


a — e 


f 


0 P 0 


1 


m 


V=e 


f 


jj  J  J  p  f  r  r  r  jj  r  r  r  j  I 


The  nations  did  make  a  noyse, 

The  kingdoms  moved  were; 
Give  forth  did  He  His  thondring  voice, 

The  earth  did  melt  with  fear. 
The  God  of  armies  is  with  us, 

The  everbeing  Jah; 
The  God  of  Jakob  is  for  us, 

A  refuge  hye.     Selah. 


[  Ps.  46  1 


In  S&H.,  both  forms,  the  'proper'  tune  for  Ps.  44.  It  comes  from  the 
Genevan  Psalter  of  1556. 

It  is  somewhat  peculiar  for  the  repetition  of  figures  and  cadences,  and  the 
avoidance  of  modulation.    Its  rhythms,  too,  are  uniform. 


48 


Psalm  45  (also  $3,  58,  72,  95,  96,  103,  1 11,  147)-    *<*,  6  lines. 


is 


■or 


« — 0 — & 


+-* 


*-+ 


i 


m 


(») 


mm 


? 


(Si 


+♦ 


p 


g    ■  g 


1 


„  p  p 


^^ 


Come,  let  us  to  the  Lord  showt  joyfully, 
To  Rock  of  our  health  showt  triumphantly. 
Let  us  prevent  His  face  with  thanksgiving, 
Let  us  with  psalms  to  Him  triumphant  sing. 
Because  the  Lord  is  a  great  God  mightie, 
A  great  King  eke,  above  al  gods  is  Hee. 


[Ps.95] 


The  combination  of  rhythms  is  remarkable.  That  of  a  is  found  in  3Sac^ 
and  37#,  but  the  others  are  unique.  Line/  has  n  notes,  requiring  a  slur  (not 
elsewhere  in  this  series  except  in  mc). 

Line  e  modulates  into  the  dominant  minor.  In  the  other  lines  the  key  may 
play  back  and  forth  somewhat. 


49 


Psalm  50  (also  12,  73,  126).     10s  &  11s. 


iTfJrrrrJJ'Jrrrrrrrrr 


►rrri'-'rrrfi'rrri'-'  r.rrr1 


f\  #? 


W+ 


w 


For  ech  beast  of  the  wood  to  Me  perteyns, 

The  beasts  that  on  a  thousand  mountayns  bee. 
I  know  al  flying  fowls  of  the  mountayns, 

And  store  of  wild  beasts  of  the  field  with  Mee. 
If  I  were  hungry,  thee  I  would  not  tell  it, 
For  myne  the  world  and  plenty  that  dooth  fyll  it. 


IPs.  so] 


In  S&H.,  both  forms,  the  'proper'  tune  for  Ps.  50.  It  came  into  English 
use  from  the  Genevan  Psalter  of  1559,  along  with  Whittingham's  version  of 
that  Psalm.    The  sharp  in  e  is  not  in  the  Scottish  version. 

The  only  melody  in  the  series  (except  the  redundant  45/)  with  'feminine' 
endings,  as  in  e  and/. 

Line  by  and  possibly  e  as  well,  modulates  into  the  dominant  minor. 

The  duplication  of  c  and  d  is  somewhat  singular.  Was  this  originally  a 
5-line  tune? 


50 


Psalm  51.     l.  m.  d. 


3 


?  ? 


^P? 


£ 


,u  j  J  j  r  f  p  J  r  r  J  r  ^ 


K? 


J  J  J  J  I  J«u  J^ 


^ 


M1  r  r J  J  J  J  i  J J  J  J J  J  J  o 


0  God,  be  gracious  to  me 

According  unto  Thy  kindnes; 
As  Thy  compassions  many  bee, 

Wipe  Thou  away  my  trespasses. 
Much  wash  me  from  my  perversenes, 

And  from  my  syn  me  purifie. 

My  trespasses  for  know  doo  I, 
And  my  syn  'fore  me  alway  is. 


IPs.  51 


In  S&H.,  both  forms,  the  'proper'  tune  for  Ps.  51.  It  came  from  the 
Genevan  Paslter  of  1556. 

Line  d  apparently  modulates  into  the  relative  major.  The  sharp  in  e  is 
not  used  in  the  Scottish  version,  perhaps  implying  the  same  key. 

The  duplication  in  lines  b  and  gy  and  the  likeness  of  six  of  the  cadences, 
catch  attention. 


51 


Psalm  53  (also  56,  64).     10s,  6  lines. 

(i) 


M  r  rJfrJ  j  H  J  1 J 


») 


P    ,j    0 


? 


3 


s^ 


32 


£ 


S 


i 


TT 


God,  hear  my  voice  when  I  doo  pray  to  Thee; 

Preserve  my  life  from  dread  of  th'enemie. 
From  secret  of  yll-doers  hide  Thou  mee, 
From  rage  of  them  that  work  iniquitie, 

Which  have  their  tongue  sharp-whetted  as  a  sword, 

Have  bent  their  arrow,  ev'n  a  bitter  word.  [  Ps.  64  ] 

The  peculiar  rhythm  of  a,  e  and/  is  found  only  in  37^. 

Lines  a  and  d  modulate  into  the  dominant  minor  and  e  into  the  relative 


major 


The  successive  skips  at  the  opening  of  b  are  unusual. 


52 


Psalm  54.     c.  m. 


$ 


-i 


£3=H 


B        & 


I 


(It?) 


3 


s 


m^ 


£ 


« — # 


0  God,  Thou  in  Thy  name  me  save, 
And  in  Thy  pow'r  judge  me. 

0  God,  my  prayer  hear;    to  words 
Of  my  mouth  heedful  be. 


See  notes  under  Ps.  21. 


[Ps.  54  1 


53 


Psalm  55  (also  62,  71 ,  80,  94).     10s,  d. 


m 


* 


'J   p    P 


w 


*-+++ 


*—Q- 


a 


g 


^ 


£ 


g=g   u  B 


«  « &> 


^^ 


p     f  f  n 


t 


W 


~0 — »r-* 
/ 


22 


PC3E 


f 


a     a   a 


rt   g  ■ 


*-* 


Mine  hart  is  payned  in  the  mids  of  me; 
Terrours  of  death  eke  falln  upon  me  be. 

Fear  is  into  me  come  and  trembling  dread, 

And  quaking  horrour  hath  me  covered. 
So  that  I  say,  Who  wil  give  me  a  wing, 
As  dove,  that  I  might  flye  and  find  dwelling? 

Loe,  wandring  flight  I  would  make  farr  away; 

Lodge  would  I  in  the  wildernes.     Selah. 


I  Ps.  55  i 


The  traditional  melody  in  early  French  Psalters  for  Ps.  103.  It  occurs  a3 
far  back  as  the  Strassburg  Psalter  of  1539. 

The  rhythm  of#,</ and*  occurs  only  in  119*,  that  of  b  only  in  \U  and  254, 
and  that  of  g  is  unique. 

Apparently,  line  b  modulates  into  the  subdominant  major,  and  e  and  perhaps 
jjinto  the  dominant  minor. 

The  bold  motion  at  two  or  three  points  is  notable. 


54 


Psalm  59  (also  79).     c.  m.  d. 


§3^ 


£ 


*=3 


0 — & 


m 


m 


f 

M. 


^ 


SE^ 


*-xr 


But  I  will  sing  Thy  strength  and  show 

At  morning  Thy  kindnes; 
For  Thou  my  fense  and  refuge  art 

In  day  of  my  distress. 
O  Thou  that  art  my  fortitude, 

To  Thee  sing  psalm  wil  I; 
For  God  mine  hye  munition  is, 

The  God  of  my  mercie. 


IPs.  59l 


Found  in  both  forms  of  S&H.,  in  the  English  set  to  'The  Humble  Suite  of 
a  Sinner'  (one  of  the  added  hymns),  and  in  the  Scottish  the  'proper'  tune  for 
Ps.  35  (but  with  the  last  three  lines  quite  different). 

Probably  is  to  be  thought  without  modulation. 


ss 


Psalm  60  (also  57,  65,  67,  113,  145).     l.  p. 


M, 


tsk 


o  'p 


^^ 


PP 


<9 — 0 


«) 


mm 


»£? 


0  blessed  he  whom  Thou  doost  make 
Choise  of,  and  neer  unto  Thee  take 

In  Thy  courts  to  have  dwelling-place. 
With  good  things  that  in  Thine  howse  bee 
Ful  satisfied  be  shal  wee, 

With  holy  things  of  Thy  pallace. 


Ps.  65 


All  but  line  b  closely  corresponds  to  a  melody  set  for  Ps.  24  in  the  Genevan 
Psalter  of  1542. 

The  'snap'  rhythms  in  a  and  d  are  unique. 

Line  b  modulates  into  the  dominant  minor. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  verse  is  in  triolets,  as  in  Ps.  84. 


56 


Psalm  66  (also  26).     l.  m. 


<« 


m 


m 


S,      a    ■ 


i    *    * 


I 


J  J    1  J  J 


a 


#    j 


0  al  the  earth,  showt  yee  to  God; 

His  name's  glory  with  psalm  sing  yee. 
Put  glorie  to  His  praise,  and  say 

To  God,  How  fearful  Thy  works  bee! 

The  rhythm  of  by  c  and  d  does  not  occur  elsewhere. 
Line  c  modulates  into  the  relative  major. 


[Ps.66] 


57 


Psalm  75  (also  70,  105,  132,  138).    l.  m.  d. 


m 


,   ,j     o    -rr-r. 


g  J  mi    S    r. 


JTTj 


^ 


zzzzz 


mi     ° — d 


wmm 


f 


^^ 


mm 


With  al  my  hart  Tie  Thee  confess 

Before  the  gods  to  Thee  sing  psalme; 
To  pallace  of  Thy  holynes 

Fie  bow  down  and  confess  Thy  name 
For  Thy  mercie  and  veritee. 

For  Thow  Thy  word  hast  magnified 
'Bove  al  Thy  name.     Thou  answ'redst  mee 

Then  in  the  day  wherin  I  cried. 


[Ps.138] 


In  S&H.,  Scottish,  the  'proper'  tune  for  Ps.  91,  being  derived  from  French 
Psalters  of  1559  and  1561. 

The  rhythm  of  b  and  d  is  unique  and  peculiar. 

These  lines  modulate  into  the  dominant  minor,  and/ into  the  relative  major. 


58 


Psalm  78  (also  49,  80,  91,  94).     10s,  d. 


m=m 


M. 


1 


m  g  ■ 


tat 


*=* 


*--# 


♦nd —  c/ 

6 


£fe 


Jfi 


p— ■ 


£ 


^ 


^ 


*i^ 


■ZZ    f  3 


f J     «    tf    »   J   #  * 


/ 


& 


li 


PPS? 


*-♦ 


-77- 
Jk 

Thou  shalt  not  fear  for  terrour  of  the  night, 
Nor  for  the  arrow  that  by  day  makes  flight; 
For  pest  that  in  the  darknes  maketh  way, 
For  stinging  plague  that  wasteth  at  noon-day. 
Falln  at  thy  side  though  thowsand  thowsands  bee 
At  thy  right  hand,  it  shal  not  come  neer  thee. 
Onely  thou  with  thine  eyes  shalt  give  regard, 
And  thou  shalt  see  the  wicked  men's  reward. 


Ps.  91  1 


I  have  not  identified  this  melody  elsewhere.    It  is  almost  certainly  French. 
The  rhythms  are  uniform  throughout,  exactly  like  those  of  Ps.  1 1 1 . 
Line  a  modulates  into  the  dominant  minor.     The  problem  of  how  far  to 
introduce  sharps  recalls  that  in  Ps.  18.    The  cadence  of  e  is  like  that  of  i8r. 


59 


Psalm  84  and  136  (also  20,  67,  1 13).     l.  p.  m.  d.  or  8s  &  7s,  d. 


frjjjJjJrr'l'rJ^^ 


r* 


rr^JJrr'rr 


a    a 


j'rr  Eg 


rr    rr^Hfi 


/ 


^rrrrrrr'rrrrprrr'J  rrrJrr,J 


Si 


« 


«p* 


£=W 


Confess  Jehovah  thankfully, 
For  He  is  good,  for  His  mercy 

Continueth  for  ever. 
To  God  of  gods  confess  ddo  yee, 
Because  His  bountiful-mercee 

Continueth  for  ever. 
Unto  the  Lord  of  lords  confess, 
Because  His  merciful  kindnes 

Continueth  for  ever. 
To  Him  that  dooth  Himself  onely 
Things  wondrous  great,  for  His  mercy 

Continueth  for  ever. 


[Ps.  136] 


This  famous  battle-song,  which  Douen  calls  'the  Huguenot  Marseillaise  , 
is  traceable  in  French  Psalters  as  far  back  as  1539,  set  first  to  Ps.  36,  later  to 
Ps.  68.  Phrases  from  it  may  be  found  in  early  German  chorales.  In  S&H., 
both  forms,  it  is  the  'proper'  tune  for  Ps.  1 13.     See  Douen,  i.  657-8 

Its  uniform  rhythm  is  most  telling  in  the  form  applied  in  Ps.  136. 

This  is  the  only  Pilgrim  melody,  besides  'Old  100th'  and  'Toulon  ,  that  I 
have  noted  in  modern  hymnals.  In  Hatfield's  Church  Hymn  Book  (1872)  six 
of  its  lines  are  lamely  given  under  the  name  'Calvin'. 


60 


Psalm  89  (also  87,  99).     c.  m.  d. 


|9 — r 


* 


m 


i 


z 


^ 


w& 


e 


? 


^ 


3 


r  r J  r  r 


f 


O  blessed  are  the  folk  that  know 

The  trompet's  sounding  shrille; 
Jehovah,  in  Thy  face's  light 

They  shal  walk  forward  stil. 
In  Thy  renoumed  name  they  shal 

Be  gladsom  al  the  day; 
And  in  Thy  justice  righteous 

Exalted  be  shal  they. 


[  Ps.  89  1 


In  S&H.,  both  forms,  set  to  the  versified  Magnificat.  Its  origin  is  supposed 
to  be  English. 

It  is  unique  in  its  apparent  harmonic  structure.  The  first  half  seems  to 
be  in  F  major,  but  the  second  half  in  G  minor. 

The  rhythms   of  c  and  e  are  unusual,  as  are  the  skips  in  e. 


6l 


Psalm  97  (also  95,  146,  150).     10s. 


*m 


ft 


^^ 


^ — & 


P 


P 


£p££? 


fr'jrrr 


K^ 


£S^ 


O  praise  Him  with  sound  of  the  trompet  shril; 

Praise  Him  with  harp  and  the  psalterion; 
O  praise  Him  with  the  flute  and  tymberel; 

Praise  Him  with  virginals  and  organon! 


[  Ps.  150 


This  major  melody  has  interesting  points  of  general  likeness,  especiall> 
in  movement,  to  the  minor  melody  of  Ps.  3. 

Lines  b  and  c  modulate  into  the  dominant  major. 


6a 


Psalm  ioo  (also  105).     l.  m. 


I 


J    J       J      J    J   J    J    *    1 


^ 


I 


s 


s 


Showt  to  Jehovah,  al  the  earth; 

Serv  ye  Jehovah  with  gladnes; 
Before  Him  come  with  singing  mirth; 

Know  that  Jehovah  He  God  is. 


[Ps.  100] 


In  S&H.,  both  forms,  the  'proper'  tune  for  Ps.  100.  On  its  history,  sec 
article  in  Grove,  Dictionary  of  Music,  iii.  431-2. 

The  rhythms  are  to  be  noted  in  their  difference  from  those  later  adopted 
and  now  universally  employed. 

The  melody  asserts  its  plagal  range  at  once,  which  is  unusual. 


63 


Psalm  108  (also  117,  122,  125,  128,  135).     6s  &  4. 


^m 


■      ■ 


m 


a    g    fi 


P 


P 


i 


5 


Jehovah,  I  wil  Thee 

Confess  the  folks  among, 
And  in  the  nations 

I  wil  Thee  praise  with  song. 

That  Thy  mercies 
Are  great  above  heav'ns  and 
Thy  truth  unto  the  skies. 


[Ps.  108] 


In  S&H.,  Scottish,  the  'proper*  tune  for  Ps.  136,  but  there  given  without 
the  flat  in  the  signature.    The  insertion  of  this  in  Ainsworth  seems  to  be  an 

As  this  is  the  only  specimen  of  this  odd  meter,  most  of  the  rhythms  are 
unique.     Cf.  note  to  Ps.  13.  ,  .  . 

Line  b  seems  to  modulate  into  the  subdominant  major,  as  d  certainly  does. 

The  opening  is  singularly  bold  and  the  reiteration  of  the  four-note  phrase 
in  c  and  e  is  interesting. 


Psalm  hi  (also  112,  140,  147).     10s,  6  lines. 


ill 


*-F-# 


rrrnrrr 


? 


0-4* 


(» 


2 


tg    '  g 


P§ 


K=M 


^ 


fcdz 


P=P 


i 


m 


P-+ 


£ 


f 

O  blessed  man  that  dooth  Jehovah  fear, 

That  greatly  dooth  in  His  commands  delight. 

His  seed  in  earth  shal  mighty  persevere; 
Blessed  shal  be  the  race  of  the  upright. 

In  his  house  riches  are  and  welthy  store; 

His  justice  standeth  eke  for  evermore. 


[Ps.  112] 


The  unusual  number  of  repeated  notes  suggests  that  perhaps  this  melody 
has  been  made  out  of  one  intended  for  lines  with  fewer  syllables.  The  cadence 
in  c  is  altogether  unique. 

Lines  b  and  c  probably  both  modulate  into  the  dominant  minor. 


65 


Psalm  119  (also  37,  49,  139).     10s,  d. 


S 


^S 


^ 


zz 


^ 


p 


£^#? 


fff;   ..   .fpfl..l 


rrri'fr 


a    tj    *  ■  p»   a 


Pi 


« & 


^ 


-#-* 


r;   fcta 


^ 


^-rr 


g 


Behind  and  'fore  Thou  doost  me  strayt  inclose; 
Upon  me  also  doost  Thy  hand  impose. 

This  knowledge  is  too  marveilous  for  me; 

It's  high,  to  reach  I  shal  not  able  be. 
O  whither  shal  I  from  Thy  spirit  goe? 
And  whither  shal  I  flee  Thy  presence  fro? 

If  I  clime  up  the  heav'ns,  Thou  art  there; 

Or  make  my  bed  in  hel,  loe,  Thou  art  there. 


[Ps.  139] 


This  fine  long  melody  presents  considerable  general  likeness  to  that  for 
Ps.  84.  In  the  Genevan  Psalters  from  1549  it  became  the  regular  tune  for 
Ps.  32. 

The  rhythm  of  a  occurs  only  in  s$ade. 

Lines  e  and  g  probably  modulate  into  the  dominant  major. 


66 


IT  seems  clear  that  behind  the  majority  of  these  melodies 
stood  a  harmonic  feeling  substantially  like  that  of  to-day. 
This  appears  not  only  from  the  general  form  of  the  melodies 
themselves,  but  from  comparison  with  the  harmonies  supplied 
for  the  same  or  similar  melodies  in  sundry  harmonized  versions 
dating  from  before  and  after  1612.  It  is  enough  to  refer  to  the 
settings  of  Daye  and  Este  in  England,  issued  in  1563  and  1592 
respectively,  and  to  those  of  the  Scottish  version  of  1635.  While 
certain  of  the  details  in  all  these  are  not  exactly  what  we  should 
now  instinctively  use,  and  there  are  others  now  common  that 
are  not  yet  attempted,  there  is  no  radical  difference  of  procedure. 
Whatever  may  have  been  the  crudity  or  timidity  of  practice  in 
other  forms  of  music  at  the  opening  of  the  16th  century,  the 
treatment  of  folk-song  airs  was  already  well  settled  upon  the 
lines  that  have  been  recognized  ever  since. 

This  general  fact  gives  ample  warrant  for  the  application 
of  harmony  to  these  melodies,  both  to  bring  out  some  of  their 
latent  musical  life,  and  to  make  them  serviceable  for  choral  or 
instrumental  reproduction.  Exactly  how  this  is  to  be  done, 
however,  may  be  debated.  It  is  likely  that  every  musician, 
as  he  looks  over  the  material  here  presented,  will  have  his  own 
notion  of  how  he  would  prefer  to  handle  it.  It  is  obvious  that 
almost  every  phrase  is  open  to  more  than  one  treatment.  And 
just  how  far  it  is  wise  to  go  in  the  employment  of  various  devices 
of  chord-succession  and  voice-part  leading  that  are  now  frequent 
is  a  matter  requiring  both  taste  and  judgment. 

In  many  cases,  also,  the  exact  reading  of  the  melodies  is 
in  doubt.  Except  where  other  books  supply  the  accepted  usage, 
Ainsworth  leaves  us  without  sure  indication  of  the  use  of  sharps. 
This  lack  is  constant  in  the  formation  of  cadences  and  sometimes 
in  the  harmonic  sense  of  entire  lines.  One  melody,  at  least, 
that  for  Psalm  37,  can  be  regarded  throughout  in  either  of  two 
keys.  And  those  melodies  that  are  apparently  cast  upon  the 
framework  of  the  old  church  modes  require  special  considera- 
tion. Several  of  them  are  almost  impossible  to  conceive  in  quite 
our  modern  idiom.  As  a  specimen,  Psalm  23  1S  given  without 
any  deviation  from  the  mode. 

67 


It  has  seemed  wise  to  include  in  the  present  study  some 
harmonized  versions  of  representative  melodies,  choosing  those 
that  are  on  the  whole  most  obvious  or  most  otherwise  service- 
able. The  treatment  offered  aims  to  preserve  a  fair  degree  of  the 
original  effect  and  at  the  same  time  keep  in  with  our  more  modern 
feeling.  Instead  of  using  the  same  formula  for  similar  figures 
in  the  melodies,  somewhat  varied  handling  has  been  introduced. 

It  is  clear  that  the  customary  modulations  are  those  indicated 
in  the  preceding  notes  —  especially  in  minor  into  the  relative 
major  or  the  dominant  minor  —  but  there  are  cases  where  the 
exact  process  presents  some  difficulty.  Whether  or  not  in  these 
and  other  particulars  what  is  offered  is  a  wise  solution,  the 
general  experiment  of  giving  a  part  of  the  songs  in  harmony 
is  worth  making. 

I  make  no  attempt  to  divide  the  phrases  into  measures.  Some 
of  them,  no  doubt,  can  be  easily  arranged  thus.  But  others 
present  difficulties,  especially  in  the  mingling  of  duple  with  triple 
note-groups  and  in  the  surprising  frequency  of  a  syncopated 
accent  that  amounts  to  an  emphatic  'snap',  sometimes  kept 
up  for  more  than  one  note.  My  impression  is  that  the  true  render- 
ing requires  attention  to  the  flow  of  each  phrase  as  a  whole  with 
respect  to  the  accent  of  the  verse,  and  that  a  certain  elasticity 
or  freedom  of  rhythm  is  to  be  sought.  It  is  very  doubtful  whether 
any  rigid  'keeping  of  time'  should  be  made  conspicuous.  Rather 
the  essential  character  of  each  phrase  and  group  of  phrases  should 
be  studied  and  brought  out  by  intuitive  sympathy.  It  is  probable 
that  in  the  early  singing  the  pace  was  fairly  quick  and  the  accents 
strong. 

Simply  as  a  means  of  making  reproduction  easier,  some 
melodies  have  been  transposed. 

A  stanza  of  words  is  given  as  in  the  preceding  pages. 


68 


Psalm  i.    cm.  d. 


^fH-^HH^tH  htf1 


mm 


I  I  J  J  i  J 


if 


I 


u* 


m 


m 


?=r 


fj44 


y  j)jj  j  ,j  iij^-^4^ 


s 


r  P  '  f  rf'r  r  rip 


il,!i'ljrJf'.'liJi'  '.'f'^Pf1 


•j  di^J-j  j  j  ,^-^J 


u 


gjf^p 


r  r  i  r  r  f  r  r 


O  blessed  man,  that  dooth  not  in 

The  wicked's  counsel  walk 
Nor  stand  in  synner's  way,  nor  sit 

In  seat  of  scornful  folk, 
But  setteth  in  Jehovah's  law 

His  pleasureful  delight, 
And  in  His  law  dooth  meditate 

By  day  and  eke  by  night. 


i  p..  1 1 


69 


Psalms  3.     10s. 


*  frrrrrrrVf  \rrKrffff 


,,»  J  j  1  J  j  J  J  J   J  J  1  J  J  J  ,J  j  J  J  j  d  j 


$ 


1 


$ 


j  j  j  j  j  j 


m 


wm 


Wz 


rrr-H5  ■rrr'Trrr  r 


I  layd  me  down  and  slept;    I  waking  rose; 

For  me  Jehovah  firmly  up  did  bear. 

For  thowsands  ten  of  folk  I  wil  not  fear, 
Which  me  besetting  round  about  inclose. 


Ps-3l 


Psalm  97     ios, 


t  r  f rr  r  fr  rff  ' p r p  j? :-ffrJrf 


■  ■rriYr^Q'^y 


P^ 


P 


-i»  J  J  J- J  J  JJJ  J  J   11  J  J  J  J  J  J  J  J  — h 


v'i  rTr  f  rrrt  f  !rrrr  rfff 


3 


O  praise  Him  with  sound  of  the  trompet  shril; 

Praise  Him  with  harp  and  the  psalterion; 
O  praise  Him  with  the  flute  and  tymberel; 

Praise  Him  with  virginals  and  organon! 

70 


[Ps.  150] 


Psalm  24.     c.  m.  d. 


Sip^P 


j  j  j  j, 1  1  j  j-j_^j_i 


r  r  r-r  '  r  r  t=$=me 


sMm^mm 


rryi 


3 


^rr  rr-fM^r  irr  r 


i 


f 


^L_JJ^ 


pw^mm  mm^m 


m 


±± 


^  J  Jj  hJJ 


r  Mr  E  r  r  r '  - 


rrrrrr  1 


i'/'-y.'.V^ 


iiu 


■*-■  rr  i^r  ji:1  ■  1/ 


rr 


AAA 


r  r  r  n?  r/f 

Lift  up,  ye  gates,  your  heads,  and  ye, 

Dores  of  eternal  aye, 
Be  lifted  up,  that  so  the  King 

Of  glory  enter  may! 
This  King  of  glory,  who  is  He? 

Jehovah,  puissant 
And  valiant,  Jehovah,  He 

In  battel  valiant. 


IPs.  U] 


71 


Psalm  5.    l.  m. 


J'rlliil.lili'.lil'.lilililil^iJ 


p  r  r  1 — «i — TT — n — 1  1  r  r  p  if  r 


g 


J  J.A    A  J.   AA       ^iiVJJ       I 

ff  r  rr  rr  ir  rrrrr  1!  fJ 


*  r  r  r  r  r  rff 


J    J  J  j  j  J  .1 


r  rrr  r  rff  T    rrrrfT^ 


m 


±jjt 


J  J, J    ,rl,JJ+-U 


j  j  j  j  j  j 

F  r  f  r  r  r 


r  r  p  r  p  r  r  p 


And  all  that  hope  in  Thee  for  stay 
Shal  joy,  shal  showt  eternallie; 

And  Thou  shalt  cover  them;    and  they 
That  love  Thy  name,  be  glad  in  Thee. 


[Ps.  5  1 


Psalm  15.     c.  m. 


p 


r  F  rrr  P  'r  r  fr7r 


S 


r  tf}  fJrf 


r 

Jul 


r  p  rr 

J      J    J     -4 


rr  rr  rf  'rr  rr  rr 


i 


JtlJ"    J   j     J    J    J    J    J  M.J      |J    .1      J    J^ 


& 


^ 


i 


1 


f 


u# 


j  j  ,jj  ^  j 


jO_ 


r  r  'r  p  rr  r 


Jehovah,  who  shal  sojourner 
In  Thy  pavilion  bee? 

Who  shal  a  dweller  be  within 
Thy  mount  of  sanctitie? 

71 


[Pi.  15] 


Psalm  32.     l.  m.  d. 


3 


j  LA  J  J  J , 


i 


r  r  i'  r  r  r '   ' '  r  }  f  r  rf 


41^/^/ i.iy  ,'£##! 


gE 


tn.\'n wm  KTrir  rrrr 


V I  hlH  Hi=yUftty 


LM  UMM  ,JJ-  jj^jj,, 


MpM 


3i 


rr  ^  r  r  r  Pf 


Jehovah's  song  how  sing  shal  wee 

Within  a  forreyn  people's  land? 
Jerusalem,  if  I  doo  thee 

Forget,  forget  let  my  right  hand. 
Cleav  let  my  tongue  to  my  palat, 

If  I  doo  not  in  mind  thee  bear, 
If  I  Jerusalem  doo  not 

Above  my  chiefest  joy  prefer. 


IPs.  137] 


73 


Psalm  21.    s. 


M. 


Jehovah,  in  Thy  strength 
Doo  high  Thyself  advance; 

And  we  wil  sing  and  praise  with  psalm 
Thy  powrful  puissance. 


[PS.  21  1 


Psalm  23-     l.  m. 


>  r  r  r  r  r  r  r  r  '/  r  r  i  r  r  r  r 


r  r  f  r 


pt 


rrm9 


jJ  j  J  ; 


* 


4 


^ 


f  r  r  'r  rr  e 


^ 


til  iij  twit?  ni 


I  r  r  rr.  r  i  i  rr  r.r 


^r 


He  brings  forth  bread  out  of  the  ground, 
And  joyes  the  hart  of  man  with  wine; 
Makes  face  with  oil  chearful  to  shine, 

With  bread  man's  heart  upholdeth  sound. 


[Ps.  104] 


74 


Psalm  39.    c.  m.  d. 


M  J  J  J  j  j {4 


s^y 


s 


g 


gj    J  J   J  J   J  J. 


r  r  r  r  r  f  r 


i 


I^W 


j  j  J  J  1  j  J 


s 


j  J  jjj  j  J 


r  r  r  r  tt 


r  rrrrrr 


^ 
^ 


fed  ^  J  J 


f;  r  r  r 

rJ    J  J  J  J  J 


w 


b  r  r  r  r  r 


1  1  ,j  j 

^4 


P  r  r  rrrrf  rj  'f  r 


fey 

f=FT: 


J  J 


p£ 


i 


^^ 


^ 


J=J=J= 


^f 


Jtf 


*y 


ff 


u 


Fyre  in  my  meditation  burnd; 

I  with  my  tongue  did  speak. 
Jehovah,  make  me  know  mine  end, 

What  my  dayes'  mesure  eke; 
Know  let  me  how  short  liv'd  I  am. 

Loe,  Thou  hast  giv'n  my  dayes 
As  handbredths,  and  my  worldly  time 

Fore  Thee  as  nothing  weighes. 


[Ps.39] 


75 


Psalm  25.     10s. 


f  rrrr^rrV^Tr  rrr  rrrf'r  F 


s 


iiiii 


^^^^^^^^ 


^ 


Upon  Jehovah  turn  thy  way  aright, 

And  trust  on  Him,  and  He  wil  see  it  doon; 

And  wil  bring  forth  thy  justice  as  the  light, 
And  thy  judgment  as  the  bright  shining  noon. 


[Ps.37] 


Psalm  37.     10s. 


l7rrj;rrrrrrff:  'r  r  ^rrr"pPPP 


n=f 


'^V.'l^Wi'tW 


r  n  r »  n  r  r i 


si 


.)  JJi  j  J 


m 


$ 


f  r  r  f;  ¥  r 


rrrrrrrr 


Frett  not  thyself*  for  them  that  evil  doon; 

Envie  not  them  that  doo  injuriousnes; 
For  as  the  grass  cut  down  they  shal  be  soon, 

And  fade  ev'n  as  the  budding  herb's  greennes. 

76 


[Ps.371 


Psalm  44.     c.  M.  D. 


...  j  j  j  J  j-jL  J  J  .J  4^  JJ 

^7  rTf==Fr-TJrT-fi 


r=r^ 


-rrr-rrj 


m  j  j  j  j  j  j 


JJ  iJ  JJ«H  + 


t  r  t  r  r  r  f 


a  r  r  rrf  r  rr  f  if  r  p  P 


f 


i 


thf-J  J  J  j  j  ■U— hJ 


f '  r  r  e  r  r 


f  t  r 


w 


^ 


IT 


» 


,-^j  J  J  J  J  J  j  J      1  j  j^AJ, 


^W 


J  J  J   J     [J     J   &Ei 


r  ir=f  T  rrfT^ 


p 


s 


f-  rrrrr r  'r  rW? 


_Q- 


The  nations  did  make  a  noyse, 

The  kingdoms  moved  were; 
Give  forth  did  He  His  thondring  voice, 

The  earth  did  melt  with  fear. 
The  God  of  armies  is  with  us, 

The  everbeing  Jah; 
The  God  of  Jakob  is  for  us, 

A  refuge  hye.     Selah. 


[Ps.46] 


77 


Psalm  108.    6s,  4. 


f  1  r  r '  1    '   nrTf 


*W  Pmmm 


.,»  J  J  J  j  j  j  J  J  J  j  ,1 

■■"■ii  r  f  f  r  r  r-^-^^p 


Jehovah,  I  wil  Thee 

Confess  the  folks  among, 
And  in  the  nations 

I  wil  Thee  praise  with  song. 

That  Thy  mercies 
Are  great  above  heav'ns  and 
Thy  truth  unto  the  skies. 


& 


[Ps.  108  J 


78 


Psalm  84.     l.  p.  m.  d. 


Jftit^iiiWii^mim 


iJJJ^ijj    iJJJJJjJ  JjjJJJsU 


^"rr  irrrrfrrr  irrrrrr^ 


^g 


*'rJ  iitiwwtiiU'fvim* 


s 


Confess  Jehovah  thankfully, 
For  He  is  good,  for  His  mercy 

Continueth  for  ever. 
To  God  of  gods  confess  doo  yee, 
Because  His  bountiful-mercee 

Continueth  for  ever. 
Unto  the  Lord  of  lords  confess, 
Because  His  merciful  kindnes 

Continueth  for  ever. 
To  Him  that  dooth  Himself  onely 
Things  wondrous  great,  for  His  mercy 

Continueth  for  ever. 


IPs.  136] 


79 


Psalm  119.     10s,  D. 


f  I  1.  r  ■   1  1  1  1  1     1   r  1  r  T  '   '      1  r 

J-U.I^JiJJJ  ,^-u  I  l^J » 


* 


j    jjj    J    J    Jj     J     J     I.UJJ.I    JJ.I: 


rrrfp  rrr  Ff  f  rrr  r  rrfTf 


111  r  i  rr  '  r  PHI  r 


s 


P 


f  'i'rrr  rrrrp 


j  j j j  j  j j j  jj  1  j  jj,j 


m  J  J  J  J  ^  a^  jj    I;    jj;    J  JJ.I   J        I 


:§: 


^ 


Behind  and  'fore  Thou  doost  me  strayt  inclose; 
Upon  me  also  doost  Thy  hand  impose. 

This  knowledge  is  too  marveilous  for  me; 

It's  high,  to  reach  I  shal  not  able  be. 
O  whither  shal  I  from  Thy  spirit  goe? 
And  whither  shal  I  flee  Thy  presence  fro? 

If  I  clime  up  the  heav'ns,  Thou  art  there; 

Or  make  my  bed  in  hel,  loe,  Thou  art  there. 


IPs.  139] 


80 


